Five Girls, One Man
by Elizabeth Caitlin
Summary: Finished! Five girls are in love with Link. Five girls who would be willing to do almost anything in order to win his heart...who will get him? And who does Link love?
1. A Knock at the Door

Summary: Five girls are in love with Link. Five girls who would be willing to do almost anything in order to win his love...who will get him? And who does Link love?  
  
  
This story is from five or six points of view each chapter, so get used to it.  
  
Chapter 1: A Knock on the Door  
  
Saria sat on her bed, wrapped up in a ball, thinking of Link as she always did. He was an amazing man. He had saved so many people, and he was the only Kokiri to ever leave the forest...  
  
But there was no hope for Saria. She was still in the body of a seven-year-old but with the spirit and wisdom of a woman. Link had grown up, and while he still lived in Kokiri Forest and talked with Saria as often as ever, Saria knew it wouldn't be long before he left for good. He was often at the palace, talking with Zelda and the King, or at Zora Palace, swimming with Ruto.  
  
After Link had been sent back in time, he had grown up like a "normal" Kokiri boy, or as normal as he could when he was growing taller than the other boys every day. Then, during the days when he had battled Ganondorf and all of his enchantments, Link had been sunk into unconciousness for several days. When he awoke, all was peaceful again. Only the seven Sages and Link himself knew all this.  
  
A sudden knock on the wood beside Saria's door frame made her jump. She turned around and could tell it was Link, even though she could only see his shadow through the white curtain she hung in her doorway. He was the only tall person for miles, after all. "Link, come on in!" she called. "You know you're welcome anytime."  
  
Link walked in solemnly, and suddenly Saria knew what he was going to say. His eyes told her. He stared at her for a moment, and then said, "Saria, I'm leaving."  
  
"What...what do you mean, leaving? You leave a lot." Saria knew what he meant, though. She had been expecting this moment for months now, and had dreaded it for almost as long.  
  
"Saria, I'm not a Kokiri. I'm a Hyrulean. And I've come to the decision that I should look for a home for myself in Hyrule Castle Town. I'll come and visit you often, but...I just can't stand living here permanently. You're the only person who even tolerates me, and I'm too old for all of you..." Noticing the hurt look on Saria's face, Link quickly added, "Except for you, of course. You're a Sage, and you're so mature..."  
  
It was now or never. If Saria could please him enough, she knew he would stay with her forever...  
  
"Link," she said, trying to make her voice mature and not high like it normally was, "I've been thinking."   
  
Link gazed at her in the way that made Saria's knees weak, and said, "What else is new?" Winking, he said, "Just kidding. What did you want to say...?"  
  
"Link, I feel trapped."  
  
"Trapped...?"  
  
"I'm not getting any bigger. I'm stuck as a child forever, and I hate it. I'm a Sage, and I'm more mature than anyone in this forest, and it's like I'm a woman stuck in a girl's body!"  
  
Link stared at Saria thoughtfully. "Saria, I feel bad for you. I think I know a way to make you feel more grown up, though..."  
  
"How?" Had Link somehow managed to read her mind?  
  
"I'll take you with me to Hyrule! You could stay with me for awhile, and I could take you to some of the stores and stuff...what do you say?" So perhaps he hadn't read her mind. And his idea was absurd.  
  
"Link, I'll die if I leave the forest, remember? Kokiri are trapped here their entire lives! And it doesn't help that we live forever as long as we stay in the forest..."  
  
"No, you won't die, Saria! You've been in the Temple of Light, right? And you've been other places with the Sages, like the night I beat Ganon, and you never died! Why would that change now?" Saria stared at Link, her excitement increasing by the minute.  
  
"You're...you're right! Is it because I'm a Sage?"  
  
"I have no idea. But then, that would make sense. It's a sort of higher calling that takes precedence over your Kokiri limits. Pretty cool, huh?"  
  
"Yes!!! Let's go right now!"  
  
Link laughed. "Slow down there, Saria. Don't you need to pack?"  
  
"Pack...?"  
  
"I guess not. Let's get going, then! It'll be sundown soon, and I don't want to have to fight off Stalchildren..." Saria shuddered at the strange name she had never heard before, and then ran after Link as he climbed quickly down her ladder and headed for the exit of Kokiri Forest.  
  
~~~  
  
Malon unpacked the milk as quickly as she could, shuddering in the sudden oncoming of cold. It was bad enough to have to milk all the cows herself, but to have to deliver the milk to the palace every day, when she could be training horses? It was all too much. Her stupid, lazy father...  
  
No, that wasn't fair. His laziness had always been a problem, and Talon knew some of the consequences, such as when Ingo had thrown him out. But that was over now, and if Malon had more responsibilites as she got older, she could live with it. She was fifteen, after all.  
  
Wrapping her shawl around her more tightly, Malon hurried away from the castle, trying to avoid the guards who whistled and jeered at her whenever she was in hearing range. It wasn't her fault that she was getting older, and it especially wasn't her fault that the guards couldn't control themselves.  
  
"Hey there, Carrot Top. What's the big hurry for?" The guard by the front gate was probably the worst of them all. He was the oldest, about twenty-eight or twenty-nine, and he never let Malon go in peace. The best thing to do was to act civil toward him and give him straight answers.  
  
"It's getting dark, and it's really cold, and, well...I'm tired. I need to get home." Smiling sweetly but not at all suggestively, Malon turned from the man and began to walk at her clipped pace again, when he reached out and caught her arm.  
  
"See that gate tower right there?" Malon nodded slowly; she had never really noticed it before.  
  
"Well, inside is a nice warm torch. It gives off light, and heat, and I'm thinking maybe you and I could go inside there and get warm. Plus, there's this really great way of getting warm that I know about...you know what I mean?"  
  
"That's a nice offer, but I've got my shawl and everything, so I'll be fine..."  
  
"Then if you'll be fine, why do you want to leave so much?"  
  
"My father will be worried about me..." Malon's voice trailed off. The guard still had a tight grip on her right arm, so tight it almost hurt.  
  
"Your father? That's a good one." Turning away from her, the guard called, "Hey! Eddie!" Another one of the guards turned toward the two of them. The guard holding her arm yelled, "Do you think this here girl's father will be worried about her if she doesn't get home soon?" The guard named Eddie laughed. "Of course not, Michael! He's a good-for-nothing drunk!"  
  
Malon was suddenly filled with rage that she had never known before, not even when Ingo had taken over the ranch and kicked her father out. Using all the strength she could muster, Malon shoved the guard away from her and started to run.  
  
In no time at all the guard caught up with her, panting heavily, his eyes full of anger. "Look, bitch," he said, looking as though he would hit her, "you could be put in prison for what you just did to me. But if you'll just come with me into the tower for a coupla minutes, I'll forget the whole thing. Sound good?" Malon, shaking with a mixture of fear and anger, spat in the man's face.  
  
She was instantly knocked to the ground, and then half-dragged, half-pulled to the stone tower, though she put up a good struggle the whole way. The guard shoved her inside and closed the door behind him.  
  
There was indeed a large, glowing torch, and a ladder leading up to the higher grounds of the castle. Desperately, Malon tried to climb up, but the tower was so small in diamater that the guard barely had to reach out his arm to grab her.  
  
"Just a second, wench. This'll only take a minute, and then you can go."  
  
"Do you want me to get pregnant?!" Malon screamed desperately, trying to think of a way to escape.  
  
"Naw...I don't really give a damn if you do." The guard smirked at her, then yanked her shawl roughly away from her. Malon screamed, louder than she had ever screamed before, but the guard just laughed.  
  
"The only people who'll hear you are the other guards, and none of them give a shit about you, wench." The guard pushed her skirt up hastily and began to remove his armor, his spear pointed at her all the while.  
  
Think, Malon, think...she couldn't think of anything to do, and she felt so helpless...  
  
The guard had finished undressing the lower half of his body, and he pulled her close to him, forcing to breathe in his scent, a mixture of sweat and grass and stone...  
  
Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Malon's head. "I'll tell Link if you do anything to me, you, you..." But words could not describe her rage at the guard. His eyes were suddenly fearful, and he dropped Malon on the ground. Everyone knew how close Link was to the princess, and how much influence he had on the king. But as Malon was leaving, he said, "Don't think I won't get you eventually, wench. Link isn't going to live forever."  
  
Whirling around, Malon demanded, "What's that supposed to mean?" But the guard just pointed his spear threateningly at her, and Malon left, full of confusion.  
~~~  
  
Ruto dove cheerfully from the waterfall in Zora's Domain, whistling to herself as she fell. Link had come to visit three days ago, and she was always happy for at least a week after his visits. He was so handsome, and she was his fiance, after all...well, technically. Originally Ruto had backed off because she thought Link had his eye on Zelda, but now she was beginning to realize that he actually had his eye on her, and he only didn't want to marry her right now because he hadn't known what he was agreeing to when she had given him the Zora's Sapphire when he was seven and she was eight.  
  
Sighing, Ruto pulled herself up out of the water, thinking about Link's gorgeous hair, which she lacked...he was so unlike her, yet so similar. And he was all she thought about, day and night.  
  
"Ruto!" Turning around, Ruto noticed Brandon, another Zora, coming toward her with a smile on his face. Sighing, Ruto smiled back. Brandon was desperately in love with her, or so everyone said, and Ruto just had no interest in him whatsoever.  
  
"Ruto, I was thinking...would you like to go to Lake Hylia with me? We could swim around and stuff..." The hopeful look of anticipation on Brandon's face broke Ruto's heart.  
  
"I'm kind of tired, Brandon...maybe tomorrow?" Brandon's entire face lit up.  
  
"Okay!!! I'll see you tomorrow!" And off he swam.  
  
Sighing, Ruto climbed back up to the top of the waterfall. When would he ever learn that her heart belonged to only one certain man?  
~~~  
  
Nabooru sat in the soft desert sands, listening to the wind and the stars and wishing Link were there. He didn't visit her all that often because he lived so far away from her, and she missed him terribly.  
  
I'm the most attractive woman in this entire desert, Nabooru thought, and I'm surrounded by what? Women! It would have been funny had it not been so irritating. The only other man who had been around had been Ganondorf, and Nabooru had despised him and thought him disgusting and repulsive. Ganondorf, on the other hand, had seemed to like Nabooru, which had caused a few problems.  
  
Who could blame him?, Nabooru thought, smiling to herself. I am gorgeous, after all. Tossing her red hair, Nabooru stalked to her temple home. She hated being the leader of the Gerudos and constantly having to watch over everything, and she hated being the Sage of Spirit, because the temple was so far from everything else in Hyrule. If only she had some men around...it didn't even have to be Link, with his stunning brown hair. Just someone who could pleasure her...as Link never did. He was much too inexperienced for someone who was his age. Fifteen years old! Honestly, she would have to teach him a few things next time he came...until then, she would have to deal with her solitude.  
~~~  
  
Princess Zelda sat in her bedroom, surrounded by fountains and flowers, trying desperately to send a proper letter to Link. She wanted to tell him about her father's decision, to have him marry her...she was so excited she trembled as she wrote.  
  
She could hardly believe her good fortune. Her, Link's wife! She could imagine the wedding already...her, in a light pink wedding gown, and Link, in a...ugh, a green tuxedo. Imagine that! Giggling, Zelda yelled for Impa. Impa would just have to compose the letter for her.  
  
But still, she couldn't stop dreaming of Link and her, together forever...  
~~~  
  
  
  
  
  
Okay, please, review and tell me what you thought! Is it any good?  
  
  
  
  
Okay, to answer some of your questions: No, there will not be a long, drawn-out catfight. Yes, there's definitely going to be more plot as we go along. And to Da Gang, only two of the three people you mentioned will be possibilities for Link. And finally, if you haven't already noticed, all the girls like Link in subtly different ways...for example, Nabooru just wants a guy around. She doesn't care if it's not Link, she just happens to think he's extra cute... 


	2. Seductress

Okay, to answer some of your questions: No, there will not be a long, drawn-out catfight. Yes, there's definitely going to be more plot as we go along. And to Da Gang, only two of the three people you mentioned will be possibilities for Link. And finally, if you haven't already noticed, all the girls like Link is subtly different ways...for example, Nabooru just wants a guy around. She doesn't care if it's not Link, she just happens to think he's extra cute...  
  
  
  
Chapter 2: Seductress  
  
"Damn it! It's getting dark, Saria. We're not going to make it to Hyrule Castle Town before the sunset." Link's face was full of worry as the two of them walked quickly along the dirt path.  
  
Saria shivered. "Are the Stalchildren going to come out soon?" Link nodded, then quickly added, "But don't worry, Saria. We'll just spend the night at Lon Lon Ranch. I do it all the time. Malon and her father won't mind."   
  
Saria stared at the ranch, taller than almost any building she'd seen before, except the Forest Temple. She had no doubt in her mind that there wouldn't be enough room in this huge place for her and Link, but what she was really worried about was whether there would be any private place for them to stay. If they got their own room, her plan would work, but if they had to share a room with Malon or something, she would have to wait until they were in Hyrule Castle Town...  
  
"Hurry up, Saria. I know you're little, but you gotta walk faster, all right?" Nodding, Saria hurried to catch up with Link as they entered the ranch.  
  
As soon as she had a clear view of the whole thing, Saria's breath caught in her throat. Wild horses ran everywhere, and a cow was grazing not ten feet from her. "Link, do you mind if I go look at all the animals?" she asked hurriedly, then ran off without waiting for his answer.  
  
Link opened the door to the house and smiled at Talon, asleep on the ground as always. He crept over to Talon, then pinched one of the chickens.  
  
"COCKAROO!" The chicken yelled so loudly that Link had to plug his ears, but it had worked. Talon sat bolt upright and gave a yelp. He grinned when he saw Link.  
  
"Don't...do that...to me..." he said, slapping Link on the back. "So, what's up, Linky boy? Need to stay the night?"  
  
"Yeah, if it's okay with you and Malon," said Link, smiling. "I've got Saria with me, so we'll just stay in the stable..."  
  
Talon grinned as though he had been expecting Link to say that. "Naw, you ain't gonna stay there tonight! I got a little surprise for ya! Remember how you used to sleep in that little cubbyhole full of hay on the far side of the ranch?"  
  
"Yeah..." said Link slowly, remembering it fondly.  
  
"Well, I fixed it up for you and cut the hole a little bigger so you can fit through it again! It'll be just like ol' times!" He beamed at Link, and Link knew how much this must have meant to Talon. He wasn't exactly the sort of person who loved to work on things, after all...  
  
"Talon...thanks," said Link, unable to express his gratitude properly. Talon nodded, then sat back down and drifted off as though Link wasn't there at all. Link turned and went outside, only to find Saria on top of a horse with no saddle, riding wildly around the yard.  
  
"Saria!" he called, laughing, "I know you love animals, but those things are twice as big as you are!" Saria turned, her green hair flying out behind her, and shrugged, smiling. But she slowed the horse down and dismounted anyway.  
  
"Where are we sleeping?" Saria asked as soon as she was in hearing range of Link. Link grinned at her.  
  
"Talon fixed up this old place I used to sleep in...it's in that tall stable over there," he said, nodding toward the other side of the ranch. Saria's eyes lit up.  
  
"Perfect," she said, smiling in a way Link had never seen her smile before. He shrugged it off, though, and began to walk toward the far stable when he noticed a very familiar horse...  
  
"Epona!" he yelled, running toward the horse. He had been wondering where she was for days now. She hadn't answered when he'd played her song, and here she was now...Link stopped abruptly when he got closer to her. Something was wrong with her right forward leg. It was broken or something, because Epona limped when she walked on it. That's odd, he thought. Malon would never let anything like that happen to Epona...  
  
That's when it hit him. Where was Malon? He hadn't seen her anywhere yet. He turned and ran back to the house. "Talon, where's Malon? I can't find her anywhere!" Talon blinked sleepily, and said, "Oh, she's delivering the milk to the castle for me. She'll be back soon, I expect. You just go to sleep, now. She'll be here in the morning and you can say hi to her then." Link nodded and went back outside.   
  
"C'mon, Saria, let's go to sleep now. It's really dark." But before Link went to the stable with her, he petted Epona and fed her a carrot he had with him. "Don't worry, Epona," he said softly. "You'll be all right. I'll tell Malon about you..." Then he went into the stable with Saria.  
  
His little niche was exactly as he remembered it. Saria crawled in first, and then Link followed her, but not before moving a box fairly close to the entrance so no one could see in. It just felt more secure that way. Then he lied down in the soft hay and attempted to go to sleep.  
  
Saria's mind was on other things besides sleep, however. It was time to put her plan into action. She tapped Link gently on the shoulder and said, "Link? Remember how I was saying I feel like a woman in a kid's body?"   
  
Link stared at her, puzzled. "Yeah..."  
  
"Well, I know a way you could make me feel more grown up. I mean, besides taking me to Hyrule Castle Town and all that." Link looked at her curiously, and said, "How?"  
  
Saria smiled at him. "Like this," she said, leaning forward and kissing him. To her dismay, Link immediately pulled away from her.   
  
"Saria," he said, looking shocked, "I know you want to feel more grown up and everything, but you're...I'm..." His voice trailed off slowly.  
  
"Please," said Saria, trying to make herself look more mature, "I'm not like the other Kokiri. I know you're older than me age-wise, but other than that, I'm actually older than you. I was five when you came to the forest."  
  
"Saria, I know all that, but I can't possibly do anything with you. You're too young."  
  
"Link, if you were with me, you'd never have to have children or anything...I can't get pregnant, after all..."  
  
Now Link sat bolt upright, wide-eyed and staring. "Saria, where did you learn all this?! You've lived in the forest your entire life!" Saria shrugged. "I've been a few places. I heard stuff from Nabooru...and I don't know where else."  
  
"Well, I'm not doing anything with you, Saria. I'm sorry, but it's just wrong." And he turned over, away from her, and closed his eyes. Sighing, Saria lay down to sleep. I'll get him to like me, she thought angrily. There's got to be a way...  
~~~  
  
"Dad, we've got to talk." Malon burst into her house with fresh determination. She was never going to deliver the milk to the castle again unless her father was on his death bed! To her dismay, however, her father didn't even acknowledge her prescence. He was still asleep.  
  
"Dad!" yelled Malon, kicking him gently, "I need to talk to you!" Yawning, Talon opened his eyes slowly and smiled at his daughter.  
  
"How'd the trip go today, Malon?" he asked, smiling. Malon frowned.  
  
"Horrible." Talon sighed, annoyed. "What went wrong today, Malon?"  
  
"Everything! Those guards are so annoying..." Malon debated on whether or not she should tell her father about what had happened and decided not to. She would tell Link, and that would be enough. She continued quietly. "Plus, it's a long walk, those milk cartons are heavy, and the guards hold me up so much I have to walk through Hyrule Field in the dark! Stalchildren aren't pleasant, I can tell you."  
  
Talon sighed. "Malon, I need to stay here to watch the Cuccos and milk the cows."  
  
"I could watch the Cuccos! And I'm great at milking cows! But the most important thing on this ranch is the horses, and you never let me stay with them anymore because I'm so busy! Why can't you take the milk to town? Why can't you hire a stable hand to do it?"  
  
"Malon, we can't afford a stable hand right now. Ingo worked for a very small amount of money, and no one else is willing to accept that little. I'm sorry, but you're getting older and you're going to have to take on more responsibility. And you're no good with the Cuccos..."  
  
Malon threw her hands up in the air. "You don't even watch the Cuccos! You sleep all day and drink all night, and I'm sick and tired of being the only one who does work around here!"  
  
Talon stared at Malon in shock. More calmly, Malon said, "I'm sorry, Dad. But it's true. I never complain, not ever. But those guards are horrible, and I never get a chance to rest anymore, and I'm just...tired." Malon smiled. "I'm just rambling on, Dad. I'm sorry. I'll get to bed..."  
  
But Talon had a feeling that for once this might be more than just rambling.   
~~~  
  
Ruto smiled to herself as she swam luxuriously in Zora River, basking in the moonlight. When night came, everyone in Zora's Domain slept in the water, as it wasn't good for Zoras to be out of the water for too long a time (they could go out of the water as long as they wanted to, but they just felt better if they didn't), and there was no room for her to swim. She sometimes went into the area where Lord Jabu-Jabu had once occupied (he had been frozen in the icy water and died, like many of the Zoras), but the memories of him and her mother were too painful, and the water there wasn't as fun as the river's raging current.  
  
Yes, Ruto still missed her mother. She had only faint memories of her from her childhood, but she remembered how her mother had been the one person who understood her, who she could talk to about everything. Now Ruto was horribly lonely. All the Zoras treated her like she was the queen of the world (she was the queen of their world in a way, but still), and her father didn't understand her at all.  
  
Ruto's mother had been killed in such a pathetic way that it wasn't even really tragic. More like comical, if it was made into a movie. Her mother had been sitting in the throne room when her father came in and, not noticing her slender mother, sat on her, crushing her to death almost instantly. Ruto was surprised her father hadn't been the laughingstock of all of Zora's Domain...then it hit her. He probably was, or at least had been. She could just see it now, all the Zoras talking about how fat old King Zora sat on his wife.  
  
Maybe that's part of the reason I love Link so much, thought Ruto. I'm so lonely, and he's the only person I can talk to.   
  
If only she could be like Nabooru. Nabooru, who seduced men almost every day. But then, I have it harder than her, Ruto thought. Father doesn't like me leaving Zora's Domain, and I can't exactly seduce my own subjects...Nabooru doesn't have to worry about that, her people are all women. And Nabooru is older, and more humanlike, and attractive...Ruto stopped herself before she became too depressed. She was just making excuses for herself, anyway. The real reason she didn't want to do anything like that was because she, unlike Nabooru, was a virgin, and she wanted her first time to be with someone she truly loved, not just a one-night stand.  
  
In other words, she wanted her first time to be with Link.  
~~~  
  
"-and don't forget to check on the snakes who live on the fourth floor, they become very tempermental if they're not fed-"   
  
"Nabooru, I know." The woman who was second-in-command to Nabooru had pretty much memorized everything Nabooru told her because she never got a chance to be in charge, and she desperately wanted to prove herself to Nabooru. "Don't worry! I'll be fine, just fine. The Gerudos know they have to listen to me, and I have an excellent memory."  
  
Sighing, Nabooru nodded, smiling. "Yes, yes, I know. I just hate having to leave you...I've never left for very long before, you know?"  
  
The second-in-command now looked puzzled. "My ladyship, I don't understand. I thought you never left the temple."  
  
Nabooru grinned. "Remember how I told you I have special powers as a Sage?" The woman nodded, still puzzled. "Well, one of them is the ability to transform into a group of orange light molecules, thereby enabling me to travel at the speed of light, and going wherever I want in this form." The woman nodded, now even more puzzled. Nabooru laughed. "Forget it. Take care of everyone for me, all right?" And then Nabooru was gone, and there was nothing but a flicker of orange light that dissipitated almost instantly.  
~~~  
  
Impa crept quietly into Princess Zelda's bedroom, smiling to herself. Very soon the little Princess Zelda who she knew so well would be Queen Zelda, and the Hero of Time, otherwise known as Link, would be Prince Link until Zelda's father, the King, died.  
  
Zelda stirred, restless, as the light fell on her face, and immediately Impa put her fingers to her lips, whistling the familiar lullaby to Zelda that still worked wonders. Almost instantly, Zelda's face grew calm, and she lay still.  
  
I hope she doesn't get her hopes up too high, Impa thought. She had noticed how Link looked at Zelda in comparison to how Zelda looked at Link, and there was a very large difference between the two. Still, how could Link say no to ruling all of Hyrule? How could anyone, for that matter?  
~~~  
  
  
  
Less talking and more action next chapter, I promise. Just a little bit of a preview: Saria's persistance increases as Link's resistance decreases; Malon delivers milk once again, but she has Link with her this time; Ruto and Brandon have a picnic at Lake Hylia; Nabooru attempts to seduce a most fascinating person (whoever guesses who gets something, I don't know what); and Zelda tells Link the good news, but he doesn't seem to think it's all that great...and don't worry. Everyone who was a virgin in this chapter stays a virgin in the next chapter, although that might not be so in chapter 4...please review this chapter even if you reviewed the other one!  
  
I'll try to update every day or at least every other day.  
  
Thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter one: Da Gang, Darkiegal, Jskater, Kirbypwr, Mokono no miko, and that anonymous person. 


	3. A Long Way to Town

Chapter 3: A Long Way to Town  
  
Saria's eyes opened suddenly, as though a noise had disturbed her sleep, but nothing of the sort had happened. She didn't know what it was, but something was bothering her...she crept slowly out of the little nook she and Link were in, and outside of the stable...  
  
It was Epona. She was lying on the ground, asleep, but every minute or so she winnied as though in pain. She probably is in pain, thought Saria. I wonder what's wrong with her leg...  
  
Saria walked slowly toward the horse and bent over its leg. There didn't appear to be anything wrong with it, but then, Saria didn't know all that much about horses...  
  
Sighing, Saria went back inside the stable, noticing Link who lay there in his prone position. Suddenly, Saria knew what she should do. Silently, she leaned over and kissed him gently on the mouth...  
  
Link sat up suddenly, and Saria jumped back, but it was too late. He had realized what she had been doing.  
  
"Saria, I'm warning you," he said, sounding annoyed, "I won't do anything with you! I won't! You're too young for me! It's just disgusting!" And he lied back down and closed his eyes.  
  
Annoyed, Saria said, softly, "Don't you like me?" Link sat up abruptly, his lips starting to form the word yes, but then he just stared at her. After a long, uncomfortable silence, he said, "I do like you, Saria, but...I don't know. I've never thought of you as anything other than a friend." Then, with renewed vigor, he said, "And I'm not about to do it with you, Saria! You're just a child!"  
  
"I'm not just a child! I'm twenty years old! It's not my fault I have this annoying kiddish body! It's not my fault I'm a Kokiri!" Calmer, she said, "I'm like you, Link. I'm growing up. Only your body grew up with you, and mine didn't. Don't you see? You're the lucky one."  
  
Link stared at her for a long, silent moment, and then he said, barely in a whisper, "Saria, I'm sorry. If you were older...if I was younger...I don't know what to do! I just...I can't, Saria, okay? It'd be wrong." And Link lied back down, but Saria had a feeling he wouldn't be falling asleep for quite a long while.  
  
He's almost ready, Saria thought. If I could just get him to like me more...  
~~~  
  
Malon woke up fitfully from a nightmare. There had been a million men, all dressed in silver armor, bearing down on her with spears and swords, trying to kill her, trying to rape her...she shook her head. It had all seemed so real, and yet...it wasn't. Thank Din for that.  
  
Malon pulled herself out of bed sleepily, wondering what her father was doing. She quickly changed into her day clothes and rushed outside, wanting to tend to the horses before her long walk to town.   
  
The sun was barely peeking over the horizon. Malon smiled happily to herself. This was her favorite time of day because it was quiet and all was still, except for some of the horses and Cuccos. And...was it Link? It was! There was Link, kneeling by Epona's side, rubbing one of her legs! Malon ran as fast as she could go to him, resisting the urge to throw her arms around him. She hadn't seen him in over a week...  
  
"Link!" Link looked up, surprised, and grinned when he saw her. He stood up and hugged her tightly, then frowned at Epona. "Do you have any idea what's wrong with her leg?" he asked, looking concerned.  
  
Surprised, Malon bent down and inspected the leg Link had been holding. "I don't see anything wrong with it," she said, smiling. "Why?"  
  
"Well," said Link, still looking grim, "I couldn't help but notice she was limping badly last night." Frowning, Malon bent down again and felt Epona's leg. Everything seemed all right.  
  
"I don't know," said Malon, "but I've got to go into town and deliver the milk for Dad..." There was something about the way she said this that sent a chill up Link's spine. Puzzled, he asked, "Is something wrong, Malon? You look kind of upset at the idea of delivering it..."  
  
"Link, it was awful! I've told you how the guards jeer at me and call my father names and act all weird around me, and then one of them...one of them..." Malon burst into tears, and by the time she managed to tell Link everything the sun was completely above the horizon. Link looked like he wanted to kill someone.  
  
"What did you say this guy's name was again? Michael?" Malon nodded. "Not only am I going to kill him, I'm going to tell Zelda about all this! Her guards have got to control themselves!" Malon frowned at Link. "Link, I don't want you to kill anybody..." Link smiled. "It was just an expression. I'm just really, really mad right now...let's just say anybody who gets in my way today will deeply regret it." And Link began to march toward the stable where all the milk was kept before remembering Saria, still asleep in the barn...in an instant, he decided not to bring her. He didn't want her around for the time being, not after how she had acted last night...he felt sorry for her, but it would be too awkward.  
  
Grabbing a crate of milk, Link hurried Malon along, and right before they left he stopped in the house and told Talon to tell Saria where they were if she woke up before they were back. Then the two of them began to walk toward Hyrule Castle Town.  
  
The journey across the field was slow going with all the milk they were carrying, but it was faster than usual because for once Malon didn't have to carry everything herself. When they were about to round the bend to the front gate, Link stopped suddenly, and told Malon to stop too.  
  
"Malon, I have an idea. Listen. I'll climb up these vines so the guy at the front gate can't see me, okay? We'll see how he treats you, and if he does anything, and I mean anything, I will knock him out." Nodding shyly, Malon took the other crate of milk from Link and went on her way.  
  
She walked up to the front gate as usual, waited for Michael to open the gate, and carried the milk up the long path to the castle. She set the milk down by the back door and headed back, ignoring the soldiers' annoying comments, and realized suddenly that the front gate was closed again.  
  
"Michael," she said, trying to remain calm, "why did you close the front gate? And...why are you on the wrong side of it?'  
  
"Well," he said, "you take so damn long to deliver your stupid milk, I figured I should close it while I wait for you to get back. And you're right! I didn't even realize I was on the wrong side of the gate! We'll just have to climb up through the gate tower to get to the other side!" Michael grinned wickedly.  
  
"You can go first," said Malon, annoyed. If she hadn't known Link was there to protect her, she would have been extremely worried, but now she felt more secure.  
  
"No, no, after you," said Michael, waving a hand in front of him.  
  
"Why," said Malon, glaring at him, "so you can try to rape me again?" Michael laughed loudly and said, "What are you talking about, wench? It's not my fault you tried to seduce me!"   
  
"Se-seduce you?" Malon was so enraged she could barely speak. "Seduce you!? What do you mean, seduce you? What did I do?"   
  
Michael laughed bitterly. "Every day you walk by here acting like you're the cream of the crop, and I just ignore it, but yesterday was too much! You, threatening to tell Link I raped you if I didn't sleep with you right then and there! So I did what you told me to do, and then when it got a little uncomfortable for you, you accused me of tryin' to rape you! You're just sick!"  
  
This isn't happening, thought Malon wildly. Link can probably hear every word he's saying...Farore, what if he believes him?  
  
As though he had read her mind, Link suddenly dropped to the ground right beside the guard, his sword out at the ready. He advanced toward the man, and immediately Michael bowed deeply to him. Link ignored this, however. He walked right up to Michael, picked him up by his metal collar (he was so incredibly strong, thought Malon, even when he wasn't wearing his golden gauntlet), and held the man an inch from his face.  
  
"This woman would not do any of the things you just said. Look at her! She's fifteen! My age! She's a hard worker, way better than you, and she would never try to seduce anyone! Do you hear me?" The guard clearly could, but Link just continued on in rage. "You tried to rape her yesterday, and I intend to tell Zelda everything! And I doubt she's going to just let this go! Even if she does keep you at this gate, if you so much as touch Malon in any way again, or say anything to her out of the ordinary, I will kill you myself, do you hear!?" And Link threw the man to the ground, disgusted.  
  
Malon waited until they were at the one part of the dirt road where no guards could see them, and then launched herself at Link, hugging him fiercely. "Thank you," she whispered, her eyes sparkling with happiness.  
  
Link laughed. "I doubt he'll be bothering you anytime soon, Malon. I doubt he'll even have a job within an hour. I'm going to go talk to Zelda right now. I haven't seen her in awhile, anyway, so I owe her a visit."  
  
The two of them walked quickly toward the palace, smiling together but for very different reasons. They were each so caught up in their own joy that they didn't even notice the flickers of green light behind them that was materializing rapidly...  
  
"Thought you'd just leave me behind, huh, Link? I guess you forgot my lovely little ability to go wherever I want as a Sage..." Then she smiled. She wasn't that mad at him. She would get him to like her tonight. And with a flash of green, Saria was gone once more.  
~~~  
  
Ruto awoke to a pair of very blue and very large eyes staring down at her. She sat bolt upright, screaming, until she realized it was just Brandon.  
  
"My god, Brandon! You scared the hell out of me!"   
  
"Sorry," said Brandon, looking bashful. "I just wanted to get an early start to our picnic."  
  
"What picnic?" Ruto sat up, rubbing her eyes, and then she remembered. The trip to the lake with Brandon that she had agreed to yesterday...  
  
"The picnic! C'mon, I want to see the sun rise!" Yawning, Ruto got up and followed Brandon to the entrance to Zora's domain. The two of them jumped through the waterfall's rapid waters, neither of them being affected by them as they were Zoras, and then they dived down to the bottom of Zora's Domain to the underwater passageway to Lake Hylia.  
  
It was still dark, but Ruto could see quite clearly in the crystal-colored waters of the lake. She swam quickly toward the Water Temple, needing to check up on it, but then realized she probably shouldn't with Brandon nearby and everything. Instead, she raced to the surface of the water and burst into the crisp nearly-morning air, loving the sensation of the water against her body that she never tired of.  
  
Brandon followed behind her, a bottle full of fish in his hand. He sat on the shore and popped it open, then handed some to Ruto. Munching thoughtfully, Ruto said, "Brandon?" Immediately Brandon sat up, giving her his undivided attention. "Yes?" he asked eagerly.  
  
"Don't you think it's kind of odd that we eat fish when we're half-fish ourselves? Doesn't that make us cannibals in a way?"   
  
Brandon sat back against the soft grass, obviously deep in thought. Finally, he said, "I don't know. I think we're way more human than fish. And Lord Jabu-Jabu ate fish, and he was just a very large fish himelf."  
  
"That's true." They both sat in silence, eating their fish contently. Then Ruto dived into the water, giggling. "Catch me if you can!" she called, racing through the water at top speed. Brandon dove in after her, but Ruto was much too fast for him. She hid behind the large underwater chunk of soil which was actually the Water Temple, and waited until Brandon was nearly around it before heading around to the other side once more and entering the Water Temple itself.   
  
She surfaced immediately, and told herself she'd just do a quick check-up before going back out into the lake. She had enchanted the temple, with Zelda's help, so that only Link and the seven Sages could see the entrance, so she knew Brandon wouldn't see the entrance. It was very visible to any Zora who entered the lake without the enchantment, after all...  
  
After walking (and swimming) around the temple, Ruto swam back out and nearly collided with Brandon. He stared at her and said, (yes, Zoras can talk underwater) "Ruto! How'd you just appear like that out of nowhere!?" Ruto laughed like it was nothing and said, "Maybe you just weren't looking in that direction, hmm?" Brandon shook his head.  
  
"No, I was looking right at that big hunk of rock or whatever it is, and you just came barreling out of nowhere! How'd you do that?" Brandon swam curiously toward the exact spot where the entrance to the temple, and panicking, Ruto grabbed his arm and transformed herself and him into blue light, then sped off to Zora's Domain, trying desperately to come up with some explanation.  
~~~  
  
Nabooru stopped in a back alley in Hyrule Castle Town so as not to upset any of the villagers there, then walked calmly into town. As she had expected, pandemonium began. People began screaming, "Gerudos, Gerudos! Run for you lives!" Laughing, she yelled with a magically enhanced voice, "I'm a Sage! It's all right! It's just me, Nabooru!" And instantly everyone calmed down, and a few people walked up to her and tried to make polite conversation.  
  
Nabooru hardly listened to them all, however, and turned to one man with a brown bushy beard and said, "Excuse me, I was wondering if you could tell me something? As a Sage I'm supposed to keep the peace, and I've been looking for someone to bring to justice, and-" Laughing to herself, Nabooru attempted to continue. She sounded so absurdly unlike herself. "and I was wondering if there were any men around here who couldn't, you know, control themselves around the ladies?"  
  
The man stared at her for a minute, and then perked up and said, "Oh! I know of one!" Nabooru leaned forward and said, "Who might that be?" And the man bellowed, "Michael! The man at the front gate! He's a bad one if I ever saw a boy that bad!" Nabooru thanked the man and raced in the direction of the castle, thinking of nothing but the end of her solitude at last!  
  
When she got to the front gate, the man who must have been Michael stopped her and said, "You can't go in the palace without the King's permission, honey." And Nabooru grinned at him and said, "Do you have any idea who I am? I'm Nabooru, the Sage of Spirit. I can do whatever I damn well please." And this strange man stuttered and said, "Oh, I apologize, do forgive me, I-" but Nabooru cut him off.  
  
"Who said I wanted to go into the palace anyway?" The man stared at her, confused. "Is your name Michael?" The man nodded slowly. "I was looking for you, then." And the man named Michael looked horrified.  
  
"Oh, god, I knew this would happen! I'm sorry! I didn't do anything wrong! It was all that girl Malon's fault! I-" But Nabooru just cut him off again calmly.   
  
"Michael, I don't know what you're going on about, but I'm not here to punish you or anything. I'm here to make you an offer."  
  
"What...what kind of offer?" The man named Michael still looked panicked.  
  
"Well, I live off in the desert in a really big temple home, and I'm a little lonely there. So if you'll come over there with me for a few days, I'll give you the greatest pleasure you've ever known. But first, what were you carrying on about?"  
  
And Michael told her (in a very edited sort of way) that he was in trouble with Zelda, or would be very soon, because of something he had done, and he wanted to leave but if he did he would get in even more trouble, and probably be one of Hyrule's Most Wanted, and...  
  
Nabooru, who, being the Sage of Spirit, had the uncanny ability to read people's minds, but didn't very often, did now, and soon knew everything about Malon and Link. It would be very amusing to see how everyone would react if the criminal himself disappeared for a while(yes, Nabooru has a slightly twisted sense of humor)...so Nabooru grabbed Michael's arm, turned herself and him into a particle of light, and whisked him off to the desert.  
~~~  
  
Zelda was sitting in her waiting room when Link burst in, looking extremely angry. She barely took notice of his rage, however, and instead ran over to him as quickly as she could and threw her arms around him.  
  
"Link! Oh, Link, did you hear the wonderful news? I suppose you haven't...it's just so marvelous! Guess what?" Link shrugged, still upset about Michael and Malon. Zelda just carried on as though she hadn't noticed, though. "Link, Father has finally chosen a husband for me! It's going to be you!" Not noticing the look of horror on Link's face, she continued on ecstatically. " And the wedding is going to be in just two weeks! Isn't that great?" Now Malon's face fell too.  
  
And when Zelda stopped jabbering, she finally looked at Link and realized that he wasn't quite as excited about this as she was. (major understatement) "Link," she said, panicking, "what's the matter?"  
  
Link paused for a moment, as though trying to figure out how to put this, and finally said, "It's just...well...no one ever asked me about it. I mean, your father already set a wedding date and everything? I hadn't even heard about it!"  
  
Zelda's face turned into a glorious smile again. "Well it doesn't really matter, does it, Link? We knew you were going to say yes! But if you want, I'll ask you. I'll ask you right now! Link, will you marry me?" When Link didn't answer, looking extremely apprehensive, Zelda suddenly realized with a very sinking feeling what his answer was going to be. That, and the way Malon had looked a minute ago as though she was going to cry, and now was looking more and more hopeful every second....  
  
"GET OUT!" Before Link or Malon could speak, Zelda had run out of the waiting room and into her bedroom, sobbing and sad and filled with rage all at the same time. Sadness because Link didn't love her the way she loved him...and rage at the fact that Malon loved him, and she was fortunate enough to have him love her back...  
  
What Zelda didn't realize was she was wrong. Link wasn't in love with Malon. He just wasn't in love with her, either.  
~~~  
  
  
  
Note: First of all, I may have said that only two of the three girls Da Gang mentioned would have a chance with Link, but that doesn't necessarily mean that Zelda is the girl who doesn't have a chance with him. Then again, maybe it does... 


	4. An Unlikely Pair

Chapter 4: An Unlikely Pair  
  
  
"Zelda, wait!" Link ran in after Zelda, leaving Malon standing in the waiting room, alone. Sighing, she turned and walked out of the palace calmly, smiling at the guards who manned the drawbridge. They were the kindest and most mature of all the guards. It seemed to Malon that the farther away a guard stood from the castle, the more dangerous he was to her.  
  
Malon was nearing the front gate when she remembered that Michael had closed it...but where was Michael? There was no sign of him now. Shuddering, Malon stepped cautiously toward the door in the stone wall, hoping Michael wasn't waiting inside to ambush her or something...she swung it open, and there was nothing except the ever-glowing torch.  
  
That's when it hit her. He had probably run away, knowing what a high price he would have to pay for attempting to rape her and lying to Link. Prince Link, thought Malon bitterly, if he accepts Zelda's offer. Which doesn't seem too likely...  
  
Malon began to pull herself up on the ladder when suddenly the door behind her opened and she was yanked brutally down. She whirled around and came face-to-face with...Michael? No, it wasn't him. He had green eyes, and whoever this was had deep brown ones.  
  
"Um, can I help you?" asked Malon nervously, feeling uncomfortable in this tiny space so close to this unknown guard.  
  
"What happened to Michael? Huh?" When she didn't say anything, the guard held up his spear threateningly. "Can you answer me, bitch? Where'd he go? He's gone! We know you told on him with your little friend Link, but Link isn't on the best of terms with Zelda right now, is he?" Malon stared in horror at the man. "How did you know?" The guard laughed maliciously. "We have our ways."  
  
The guard grabbed Malon's beautiful red hair and yanked it as hard as he could, bringing Malon to the ground and causing tears to well up in her eyes. "This is gonna be great, wench. I'll get revenge for my brother and I won't even get in trouble for it because you don't know who I am!"  
  
Gasping, Malon sputtered, "You just told me you're his brother!" And the man laughed cruelly.   
  
"The palace people don't know that we're brothers, honey! So just come here..." The guard held Malon's wrists while he pulled her skirt up and, in almost the exact same way Michael had, removed his armor.  
  
It was coming back...the feeling of helplessness, the dreadful fear, and then Malon was screaming for mercy as pain worse than she had ever known before exploded in her body. She felt as though she was being split in half...she was screaming, crying, begging the man to stop, but he didn't, and then....  
  
It was over. Malon was lying on the ground in a crumpled ball, and Michael's brother laughed cruelly as she sobbed. Finally, Malon got up and started to crawl up the ladder, but the guard pulled her down again. "Where do you think you're going, wench?" Malon felt panicky as the man lifted her skirt up again...and then...  
  
"The first time was for my brother, but this time it's just for me and you not bein' polite enough to ask if you can go home!" And then he lifted her up to him, and Malon wanted nothing more than to control this, to stop this....  
  
"No..." He lifted her up farther... "Please...stop, no..." And this time Malon couldn't even scream, she felt so weak and helpless. And when it was finally, finally over, the man let her go, and said evilly, "NOW you may go home, you little whore."  
  
Malon crawled up the ladder slowly, sobbing and thinking of all the horrible things that could happen now...what if...what if she got pregnant with this unknown man's baby? Malon walked home, tears streaming down her face, but no one seemed to notice her tears as she walked through Hyrule Castle Town and back home to the ranch.  
~~~  
  
"Go away..." Sighing, Link sat down next to Zelda and rubbed her back slowly, trying desperately to think of something he could say. They were getting nowhere.  
  
"Zelda, it's not that I don't love you. I do love you! I love you a lot! It's just...well...first of all, I'm already engaged to someone, in a way." Zelda sat up abruptly and stared into Link's eyes.  
  
"What?" she whispered, looking stricken.  
  
"Yeah...it was an accident, really."  
  
"An accident? How can something like getting engaged be an accident?!" Link sighed and told her about Ruto and the Zora's Sapphire, and how he was technically engaged to her. Zelda just laughed.  
  
"But then you're not really engaged, Link, because you didn't know what it meant at the time!" Link sighed.  
  
"Yeah, I know, but I still feel sort of responsible. And Zelda..." Link's voice trailed off. Then he said, "Look, I just don't feel ready for marriage. Not with you, not with anybody. I'm fifteen years old! And you're sixteen! I want some time to, I don't know, grow up! Have some adventures...um..."  
  
Zelda smiled at him, looking amused. "You've had your fair share of adventures, Hero of Time." And then, more thoughtfully, she said, "You're not in love with me, are you, Link?"  
  
Surprised, Link stared at her. "What are you talking about? I just said I love you!"  
  
Zelda shook her head. "That's not what I meant. There's a difference. I love my father, for example, but I'm obviously not in love with him." And then she looked straight into Link's eyes in a way that made him feel she could read his mind. "Are you in love with me, Link?"  
  
He stared back at her, unsure of what to say, and then, finally, he said, "Zelda, I don't know what I want. I don't know if I'm in love with anyone right now."  
  
Surprised, Zelda said, "But what about Malon?"  
  
Link shook his head. "I'm not in love with her any more than I'm in love with you." Then, realizing that sounded a little harsh, he added, "Zelda, I just think I'm too young to make a decision like this right now. Maybe in a few years..."  
  
Zelda sighed. "You're right, Link. Maybe you are too young for this sort of thing. It must be an awfully hard decision with so many girls around you..."  
  
Link realized with a start that Zelda was absolutely right. Images of Saria drifted through his mind. "You're the lucky one, Link." Malon, who was such a dear friend but who he had no interest in...Ruto, his accidental fiance...just thinking of her made him smile to himself. She may have been odd-looking to some people, being blue and all, but one of his best friends had green hair and he didn't mind. And Nabooru...she was absolutely gorgeous.  
  
And Zelda...Link found himself staring into her eyes once again. She was so obviously so in love with him...it must have killed her to find that he didn't love her the same way. Sighing, Link stood up and said, "I'd better get going. I left Saria at Lon Lon Ranch and she's going to be really mad at me for leaving her behind!" Zelda nodded silently, and Link left, wondering what he should do.  
~~~  
  
Malon sat in a ball in one of the empty stalls in the stable, sobbing hysterically. For the first time in her life she was glad her father was asleep and not awake to see her tears. She wondered when Link would be back. It would have taken some time for him to soothe Zelda, but then, what had just happened to her must have taken some time too...  
  
The stable door opened and Malon immediately stopped sobbing, trying to be as quiet as possible in case it was her father.  
  
"Malon? I'm back! Where are you?" It was Link! Malon stood up and ran over to him and threw her arms around him, tears forming in her eyes again. When she finally pulled away, Link stared at her, surprised, and said, "Malon? What's the matter?"  
  
And Malon told him, in hysteric fragments, all that had happened to her. By the time she was done the two of them were sitting on the floor of the stable, and Link looked once again as though he could kill. But then his face softened and he held Malon silently and whispered, "It's going to be okay" over and over again until Malon had stopped crying and was just sitting there, numb.  
  
Finally, she spoke. "Link," she said, avoiding his eyes, "I just...I didn't want my first time to be like that...I wanted to stay a virgin until I was married..."  
  
And Link put his fingers deftly under her chin and whispered, "Malon, you're still a virgin."  
  
She looked up, her large eyes looking at him hopefully, and said, "What?"  
  
Link, no longer whispering but still very quiet, said, "Well, you are. You didn't want any of that to happen, so...to me, you're still a virgin."  
  
His words echoed in her mind. "To me, you're still a virgin..." And then she turned and looked straight into his eyes and said, "Link, I know I'm nothing special. I'm not a princess, or a Sage, or...I'm just an ordinary farm girl with a lazy father." She paused, not knowing what to say next, and then, "And...I know you don't love me, but, I love you so much, and I...I..."  
  
But her words were drowned out as Link leaned forward and put his lips over hers, silencing her. Surprised, she froze and didn't move until she realized that Link was kissing her, and then she was kissing him back.  
  
And then he was unbuttoning her cotton blouse and pulling off his tunic and pushing her skirt aside and it was all a bit fast but she didn't complain...and then there was nothing but him and her, together as one, in a constant rhythm, and this time, thank the Goddess, it didn't hurt at all...  
  
Neither Link or Malon noticed the flicker of green light that seemed to be humming as though it were mad...  
~~~  
  
"Brandon, wake up! Wake up, will you? It's almost time to go to on our picnic!" Ruto smiled to herself as she gently nudged Brandon. The poor thing was going to be so confused when he regained consciousness...when Ruto had transformed him into a light molecule, he had been knocked out by the time she materialized him again, and she had quickly carried him to the area where he always sleep. Hopefully he would believe her when she said it was all a dream...  
  
"Ruto?" Brandon mumbled sleepily, opening his eyes. He stared at her for a moment before a look of bewilderment came over his entire face. "Wait! We already went on the picnic! We were swimming in the water and then you came out of the rock and then we were going really, really, fast..."  
  
Ruto smiled at Brandon. "Brandon, what are you talking about?" Then she grinned even wider. "Brandon, you probably just had a really weird dream or something. Don't worry about it! Now let's get going!" Shaking his head, Brandon got up and followed Ruto, completely in shock. The dream had felt so real...  
  
But soon they were at Lake Hylia, lying in the sun together, and then Brandon frowned and said, "Oh, darn it, I forgot the fish! And he was just about to dive into the water to go to Zora's Domain when Ruto put out a hand and said, "Brandon, don't bother. We can go fishing at that fisherguy's place if you want. I've never done it before, and it looks like it'd be fun."   
  
Brandon nodded, smiling, and was just about to start swimming toward the "fisherguy's place" when he was struck by a sudden thought....  
  
"Ruto," he said, turning around slowly in the water, "how did you know I wanted us to have a picnic here?" Ruto smiled, but was it just Brandon's imagination or did she look a little nervous?  
  
"Brandon, you told me yesterday that we were going to have a picnic." Brandon nodded, but then he frowned and said, "No I didn't. I just invited you to come swimming with me."  
  
Sighing, Ruto said, "Well, when you were dreaming you said something about a picnic, remember? You said something like, 'We already went on the picnic!' or something like that."  
  
"But I only said that because you said, 'Brandon, it's almost time to on our picnic!'..." Brandon frowned even more deeply and furrowed his brow, trying to remember.  
  
Out of desperation, Ruto said, "I just knew, okay? Remember how I told you I'm a Sage and all?"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"Well, one of my abilities is to read people's minds. So I knew you wanted to go on a picnic."  
  
"Oh, now I get it. And you didn't want me to know...don't worry, Ruto, I won't tell anyone. You can trust me."  
  
Ruto smiled at Brandon. "I know I can."  
  
There was a long pause, and then Brandon said, suddenly panicky, "Ruto, do you always read my mind? Like, do you know what I'm thinking right now?"  
  
Ruto grinned at Brandon. "Don't worry! I don't read people's minds all that often because I think it's rude to invade people's privacy." Sighing, she sat back and tried to relax. She couldn't really read minds; Impa and Nabooru, the Sages of Shadow and Spirit (though Ruto had always thought of them as Sages of Death and Life), were the only two who had that ability. And Zelda, who had a little bit of each person's ability as the leader of them all.  
  
"So, you wanna go fishing?" Ruto asked, smiling.  
  
"Oh yeah! Race you to the fishing house!" And Brandon began to swim rapidly toward the fisherman's fishing place.  
  
"Hey, no fair! You got a head start!" But Ruto dove into the water anyway and attempted to catch up with Brian. Then, without really thinking about it, she turned into a blue light molecule that blended in with the water and caught herself up with Brandon so that she was right behind him, then swam as fast as she could.  
  
"I won!" Ruto grinned triumphantly at Brandon, then started to run into the fisherman's house when Brandon tackled her to the ground.  
  
"That's not fair! You're a Sage! The Sage of Water! You can probably swim extra fast as another one of your abilities or something..." Brandon smiled at Ruto and ran into the fishing house, yelling triumphantly, "I won! I won! I said it was a race to the fishing house, not just the grass around it!" And then there was a muffled yell from inside that didn't sound anything like Brandon's voice, and a loud gunshot, and then...silence.  
  
Panicking, Ruto yelled, "Brandon? Brandon!" She ran desperately into the fishing house and screamed at the sight she saw.   
  
Brandon was lying on the ground in a pool of blue blood (Zoras have blue blood), a single bullet through his middle. And there, pointing a gun at Ruto, was the fishing man. He shook his fist at her warningly.  
  
"I've seen you people out in the water before! You just stay away from me, or I'll shoot! I don't know what you are, but you're freaks of nature! You're half fish and half human and half God knows what! Just get out of here or I'll kill you!"  
  
That's when Ruto realized that there wasn't another bullet in the man's gun, or else he would have shot her by now like he did Brandon.  
  
"I'm not going to hurt you," she said, putting a hand up calmly. The man was still visibly shaking, and he didn't lower his gun.  
  
"I'm just going to take my friend here and then I'll get out of your shop..." Ruto bent down and tried to check Brandon's pulse, but she couldn't find one. Panicked, she touched Brandon's arm and turned him and her into a light molecule.  
  
She could hear another yell from the fisherman as she whisked Brandon away...  
~~~  
  
Nabooru lay in her hidden temple sanctuary, buried under a mountain of silk blankets and pillows. Turning over, she noticed Michael, still asleep, and grinned to herself. He had been very experienced, very experienced indeed...Nabooru was pleased.  
  
She turned to the entrance to her temple and walked outside slowly, enjoying the morning sun. Her journey to town to find a man had been easier than she would have expected so early in the day, but then, guards were on duty day and night.  
  
She lay down in the soft desert sands in her light silken clothes, enjoying the sensation of being one with the earth. But then, she would love feeling like she would was a part of everything...she was the Sage of Spirit, was she not?  
  
A sudden noise behind her made Nabooru whirl around, but it was just Michael, wearing all of his armor. Nabooru chuckled.  
  
"Really, Michael, there's no need to wear those heavy garments," said Nabooru, tossing her thick hair. "I would think you'd know by now that I prefer being able to actually see your face."   
  
Michael tried to smile, but he was too amazed. He still couldn't believe his good fortune. He had been panicking less than an hour ago about being executed or fired or something to that effect, and then along comes this stunning young woman telling him she wants him to come back to her house with her...  
  
There had to be a catch. There almost always was. And as though she had read his mind, Nabooru said, "There's no catch, Michael. I'm a Sage; I have no interest in doing anything to harm you or get you in trouble."  
  
Under his breath, Michael muttered, "You're certainly interested in other things..."  
  
Nabooru said, "I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Then she smiled at Michael again, and it was the most wonderful smile he had ever seen. "Michael, I don't want to argue with you. Let's just have some fun, all right? I want you to enjoy yourself."  
  
Sighing, Michael sat down next to Nabooru. He just couldn't help but feel there was some kind of catch...  
~~~  
  
"Yes, Your Majesty. It seems that the Hero of Time has turned down the Princess's offer of marriage."  
  
"It wasn't meant to be an offer! I can't believe Zelda actually made it into one! I don't care whether or not the Hero of Time wants to marry her! He'd be the best king for this country and that's all that matters to me!"  
  
"The Princess thought that Lin-sorry, the Hero of Time would say yes."  
  
"Yes, obviously...there must be something we can do, Impa. I'm not getting any younger, and if I died tomorrow, the next King would be my head attendant, would it not?"  
  
"Yes, Your Majesty."  
  
The King sighed. He couldn't stop thinking of the Head Priestess's prophecy... "If the Hero of Time does not become King, Hyrule will become a horrible thing."...  
  
But then, the Head Priestess had been wrong before. The King's only question was, what if she wasn't this time?  
~~~  
  
  
  
Next Chapter: Saria gets pissed (and I mean REALLY PISSED); Malon's all happy but Link doesn't know what he was thinking; we find out whether Brandon's dead or alive (this actually plays a big part in the story later on, believe it or not); Nabooru gets mad at Michael; Zelda prays to the Goddesses about Link.  
  
Hee hee hee, I love how this is all one big soap opera with all the different points of views and story lines...   
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[ Click here to report possible abuse to staff ] 1. A Knock at the Door2. Seductress3. A Long Way to Town4. An Unlikely Pair5. Wanted, Dead or Alive6. Betrayal7. A Meeting of the Sages8. A Not-So-Secret Engagement9. A Birth and a Death10. Just by Chance 


	5. Wanted, Dead or Alive

A few notes: First of all, I'm not getting rid of Malon and Nabooru. They're important parts of the story (I know the whole Nabooru storyline seems pointless and all, but it IS important), and I've had this story pretty much planned out from the beginning, so I'm not just changing it because of reviews. (Your reviews are important to me, though.) Second of all, sorry it took so long to write this chapter! I was grounded from the computer (long story) and now I'm back online, so here's chapter five:  
  
Wait! One more thing: some of you said to get rid of Nabooru because she doesn't like Link enough. I'm not going to kill her just because of that! It's just another part of the plot...  
  
  
Chapter 5: Wanted, Dead or Alive  
  
Saria stalked back and forth angrily, thinking of nothing but Link and Malon. How dare they do this to her when it was so obvious that she was in love with Link? How dare Link betray her like this?  
  
Saria sent a bolt of green energy at the curtain that hung in her door angrily, and the entire thing went up in flames. Link had probably noticed she was missing by now. Good, she thought. I hope he worries. I hope he goes to hell!  
  
No, she didn't want that, exactly, but she did want Link to suffer for what he did, and this was a perfect start Worrying was probably one of his worst habits, and Saria knew this all too well. Sighing, she made herself invisible and whisked off to the Forest Temple to check on it. She didn't want any of the Kokiri to see her in case Link came by the Kokiri Forest and asked if anyone had seen her.  
  
Inside the temple, Saria fed the Stalfos in the front entrance and continued on to her favorite room, the garden chamber. It was beautiful and well-lit, unlike the rest of the temple. But then something clicked in Saria's mind and she went back into the ritual room of the temple that had four torches of different-colored flames and stood in the very center. She began to chant:  
  
"Wyslany w podróz morska i wy straciliscie. Ja jestem zalujace mówic to ale ja bedzie musi miec wy rzucaliscie! Przyjaciel, teraz mój wróg znowu, ale to jest czas dla was umierac! Tak mówie wasze imie: LINK!"  
  
The last word she screamed so loudly that the very walls of the Forest Temple shook, and then Saria realized that she had no idea what she had just said. It was some ancient forest curse or other, and she quickly rushed to a room where she kept her books on the subject and looked it up. It read:  
  
"Przeklcie Okrutnego Szczcia, or Curse of Cruel Luck, is a spell which will last for seven days and seven nights. During this time, anything the person whom you cast the spell on will have nothing but misfortune. To reverse this spell, say the entire thing backwards."  
  
Sighing, Saria closed the volume and hurried back to the altar, knowing she had to reverse the spell. She didn't want Link to die or anything like that, after all. With some difficulty, she chanted:  
  
" Imie ezsaw eiwom kat! Careimu saw ald sazc tsej ot ela, uwonz gorw jom zaret, leicajyzrp! Ei csilacuzr yw ceim isum eizdeb aj ela ot ciwom ecajulaz metsej aj! Eiscilicarts yw i aksrom zordop w ynalsyw: LINK!"  
  
Then Saria sat down wearily, her mind still full of Link.  
~~~  
  
"Saria? Saria? Are you in there?" Sighing, Link turned back and headed toward the main house of Lon Lon Ranch, where he knew Talon would be sleeping. Trying desperately to avoid Malon's eyes, Link kept his head down and marched into the house quickly, hoping she wouldn't follow him.  
  
To his surprise, Talon was actually not asleep for once. He was feeding the chickens with slow, lazy gestures that made Link tired just looking at them, but the very fact that Talon wasn't snoring among the Cuccos made Link laugh.  
  
Talon looked up suddenly and smiled when he saw Link. "What is it, Linky-boy?"  
  
"Er...have you seen Saria around lately? She wasn't in either stable..." At least, I certainly hope she wasn't, thought Link. That wouldn't have been good at all. But Talon just frowned and shook his head, saying he hadn't seen Saria since the night before.  
  
Sighing, Link went back outside the stables and said to Malon, "I hate to break it to you, Malon, but I have to leave. I can't find Saria anywhere."  
  
Surprised, Malon answered, "Are-are you sure you have to leave right now? I mean, Saria can take care of herself, she's a Sage and all...she probably did that light-teleporting thing, or whatever it's called. Won't you stay just a bit longer?"  
  
"No!" said Link, not really angry with Malon but angry with himself. He should never have done anything with her, he should have thought, he should have controlled himself...but he hadn't, and he would have to live with that. He was about to play Epona's Song when he realized that Epona was still hurt. "Malon?" he asked, turning.  
  
"Yes, Link?" she asked, her eyes shining with anticipation.  
  
"You might want to take a look at Epona. She isn't doing too well." And then he strode away from her, leaving her with such a sad expression on her face it would have caused Ganondorf himself to feel compassion.  
~~~  
  
Link walked quickly through the field, trying to get out of hearing range with Lon Lon Ranch. He couldn't stop thinking to himself things like, What was I thinking? and, I am SUCH an idiot!   
  
He paused in the middle of the field, about halfway between Lon Lon Ranch and Kokiri Forest, and played Saria's Song softly on his Fairy Ocarina. He knew that Saria's enchanted ocarina would pick this melody up and contact her. But after waiting a few minutes, he realized she wasn't going to answer.  
  
I hope she's okay, he thought, and began to run quickly toward Kokiri Forest.  
~~~  
  
Ruto stopped herself and Brandon in the middle of Zora's Domain, right smack dab in the water. She let Brandon slowly sink to the bottom so that he would get more oxygen than he would by just breathing in normal air, and then she swam rapidly toward the only doctor known in Zora's Domain.   
  
"Tom!" she shouted, looking extremely worried. "Tom! Get over here and check on Brandon NOW! He's hurt...he was shot in the chest...I think he's dead..." Ruto's voice slowly trailed off, and she started crying, to her surprise. She didn't like Brandon that much, so why would she cry if he died?   
  
That was a bit harsh. She would probably cry if any of the Zoras died, but she felt as though a part of her had been ripped out, and she didn't know what to do.  
  
Tom was already at Brandon's side, to her relief, checking his pulse and breathing rate and things like that. After a few moments, he said, very slowly and so softly only Ruto could hear, "He has no pulse. He's not breathing." And then he added laboriously, "Princess Ruto, he's dead."  
  
"No!" A strangled sound came from Ruto's throat and she knelt by Brandon's side in the water, tears coming out so quickly she couldn't tell them apart from the water around her. She put her head against Brandon's chest and sobbed loudly, wishing there was something she could do...  
  
Maybe there was. She was a Sage, after all. She had to be able to cure him! She had to! She knelt by him and tried desperately to think of something, anything...but nothing came to mind.  
That wasn't fair! She was a Sage! She was supposed to be able to do anything!  
She closed her eyes from grief, leaned down, and kissed Brandon gently on the mouth, still sobbing.  
  
And his eyes sprang wide open.  
~~~  
  
Nabooru appeared with a pop in the Spirit Temple, surprising Michael so greatly that he nearly fell off the giant hand he was sitting on. The way Nabooru was looking at him was beginning to bother him when she finally spoke.  
  
"Someone's wanted in Hyrule Castle Town." She smirked flirtatiously at Michael and added, "Can you guess who? I'll give you a treat."  
  
Sighing, Michael said, "Hmm, that's a tough one. Maybe it's...me?" As if it weren't obvious enough.  
  
"Nope. Your brother is, whoever that may be. Apparently no one knows exactly who that is, just that he's a guard at Hyrule Castle. He raped that Malon girl, and now he's wanted, dead or alive."  
  
"Daniel!" Michael sat up abruptly. "This is all my fault...Nabooru, I've got to go to him!"  
  
"And reveal his identity? I think not. I'll present him as a gift to the Gerudos, how's that? I daresay he'll have fun with them..."  
  
Out of other options, Michael nodded his head solemnly. Nabooru laughed in her usual carefree way and left as quickly as she had come.  
~~~  
  
  
Okay, so Zelda didn't pray in this one like I said she would. Sorry. I know this is really short, but I wanted to put something up and I figured this would do. Next chapter will be extremely long, and it will be about a month and a half after the last one for several reasons...oh, and one important girl is going to die in this story. Can you guess who? Whoever does is really awesome...  
  
Thanks to the people who reviewed my story, too many to mention. You all rock! ;) 


	6. Betrayal

I'd like to apologize for chapter 5's awfulness. It was short, it was bad, and now my writing has returned to its normal, more flowing style. I apologize, I was desperate and tired! Also, I forgot to put a disclaimer before, so here it is: do you really think I own these people? I'm thirteen, for goodness sake!   
  
Chapter 6: Betrayal  
  
Zelda was sprawled untidily across her bed, her tears staining the silk blankets which she slept on. She was in complete shock from the events of less than an hour ago.  
  
Her father had called her into his throne room so that they could discuss a "very important matter". She had come in, curtsied, and waited. Her father had then said the terrible, cruel words:  
  
"Zelda, it is my wish that you be married by your seventeenth birthday, which, as you know, is in seven months."  
  
Zelda was surprised. "Father, I thought I was going to marry Link when he decided he was ready for marriage. What if he isn't ready by my seventeenth birthday? He's a year younger than me, after all, and-"  
  
"Zelda, he's not going to change his mind. It's very obvious that he isn't in love with you, and you're going to have to learn to accept that. I'm not getting any younger, and if I were to die you would become Queen, but there would be no one else in line to the throne. You need a husband and children so that their will be heirs, or else the highest servant in the palace will become King." The king paused, as though afraid to say what came next. "Zelda, I have decided that you will marry Rauru, Sage of Light and wisest man I know. He would make an excellent King, and he would be first in line to the throne."  
  
Zelda couldn't speak for a moment, and when she regained her speech she gasped, "Father, Rauru will most likely die before me! He won't ever be King, even if he marries me! And he's too old!"  
  
"Zelda, I must ask you to calm down. And it doesn't matter whether or not Rauru ever becomes King, don't you see? His children will be wise like him, and they will be the future Kings and Queens. And he isn't that old. He's twenty years younger than me."  
  
"Then he's...forty-eight! That's thirty-two years older than me!"  
  
"I'm aware of that, Zelda."  
  
"But-"  
  
"That's enough! This is not an argument! You are going to marry Rauru the day before you turn seventeen and that is final!"  
  
So now Zelda was on her bed, hysterical, when she had a sudden thought. She walked as though in a trance back to the throne room, loving her idea.  
  
"Father?"  
  
The King reguarded her cautiously, then said, "What?"  
  
"If...if Link were to want to marry me before my seventeenth birthday, could he marry me?"  
  
The king paused, looking rather grave for a moment, and then nodded solemnly. "Yes."  
  
Zelda ran out of the throne room full of high spirits. If she told Link that she would have to marry Rauru if he didn't marry her, surely he would say yes! The future was looking brighter already.  
~~~  
  
"Mm-mmm-mm, mm-mmm-mm..." Ruto hummed to herself as she bathed in the waterfall, thinking of Brandon. Every now and then Link still crossed her mind, but it wasn't the same as before. He was more like a faded memory, a fling of the past that had disappeared long ago. She hadn't seen him in over a month, after all. He obviously didn't care about her.  
  
But Brandon...Brandon treated her as though she was something he needed, like water, rather than just being the Sage of Water. Ever since she had mysteriously revived him(she still didn't know quite how that had happened), she had begun to realize that he wasn't as bad as she had once thought. He wasn't like the other Zoras, who treated her like a princess because she was, well, Princess. He treated her like a princess because to him, she was a goddess.  
  
"Ruto?" Brandon, she thought, and turned around quickly, expecting to see his pleasant face. But it wasn't Brandon. It was...Link. Wearing his Zora Tunic, no less. Startled, she put a hand over her mouth and stifled a gasp, then smiled in a half-warm way.  
  
"Link...what a pleasant surprise." She could tell she sounded distant, but what was she supposed to do? Swoon over him, when he had barely acknowledged her prescence for the last year? She stood there impatiently, wishing he would say something, but he had already crossed the water and embraced her. She stayed stiff for a moment, treading water and wishing he'd stop, when he pulled away.  
  
"Ruto, is something wrong?"  
  
Ruto looked away. "No."  
  
Now Link looked even more surprised. "Well, something's changed."  
  
"Do I have to explain everything I say and do to you?"  
  
Now Link looked angry. "What did I do?"  
  
"Nothing! Just leave me alone!" And she swam away, aware of Link's eyes on her back.  
  
Then she saw Brandon, and he greeted her with a long, full kiss, and though she tried to pull away she failed. She could tell Link was still watching, and it made her slightly uncomfortable until she realized that there had never really been anything permanent between them. They had never even gone out, or said anything on the matter. Why should it be a problem if she had a boyfriend?  
  
She smiled at Brandon and said, "We have a visitor." She turned around, expecting to see Link, but he was gone.  
~~~  
  
Link marched furiously toward Lon Lon Ranch, fully aware of the rapidly setting sun. He knew he didn't have any right to be angry, knew he had never really told Ruto how he felt about her, and now she had a boyfriend. Unless everyone in Zora's Domain greeted each other like that, and as far as he knew they didn't...  
  
He began to run as he realized that soon the sun would set completely. It wasn't that he was afraid of the Stalchildren, just annoyed by them. And he didn't want to miss dinner at Lon Lon Ranch. While he was welcome to eat anything he liked, it always made him uncomfortable to just raid their pantry.  
  
When he got there, he could see no sign of Talon, and assumed he was asleep. Malon, however, was so close to the front of the gate that it almost seemed as though she had been waiting for him. Or someone.  
  
Link's suspicions were confirmed when she rushed at him and pulled him far away from the entrance, looking extremely nervous. Link stared at her for a moment, concerned, and then said, "Malon, what is it?"  
  
"Link...something's happened..."  
  
"Oh God, is it your father?"  
  
"Oh, no, nothing like that. No one's died or anything." Relief came to Link immediately.  
  
"Thank God..."  
  
"Yes, well, anyway, something has happened, and it has to do with you, in a way..."  
  
"Malon, what is it?!"  
  
"Link, I'm...I'm pregant."  
  
The words hung in the air for a moment like a deadly gas, and then the reality of it hit Link.  
  
"You're...what?"  
  
"You heard me, Link. I'm pregant. I'm going to have a baby. What are you going to do about it?"  
  
"Me? What does that have to do with me?"  
  
Malon looked hurt, and very surprised. "It has everything to do with you, Link! You're the father!"  
  
"Are-are you sure?"  
  
"Well who else would it be?!"  
  
"Michael's brother! That guard! I mean, he raped you and everything...and it was before we, you know...so, he's probably the father!"  
  
Now Malon looked as though she was about to cry. "So what if he did? Even if he is the father, I wouldn't exactly want him raising my child! The point is, you could be the father, so you should take responsibility for it!"  
  
Link stared at Malon. "I...I...Malon, I don't know what to say. I don't know what I was thinking then and I don't know what you're thinking now. Are you saying you want me to marry you? So I can be the official father?"  
  
"Of course." Malon said it softly, as though afraid to say it at all.  
  
"Well, I'm sorry, Malon, but I can't marry you! I'm too young to get married! I...I..." But Link knew he had to marry her. She couldn't exactly raise a child on her own with all the work she already had to do...  
  
"If you did marry me, the ranch would become yours. Dad left."  
  
"What?! Why?"  
  
"I don't know. He left a note about how he needed to know the truth about my mother or something, and he wasn't coming back."  
  
"I thought your mother died..."  
  
"So did I. But it was never exactly proved, so he must want to find out more or something..." Her voice grew soft. "Dad always said I looked just like her. I guess she had red hair too." Then she looked up at Link. "So, Link...will you?"  
  
He sighed, worked up every fiber of goodness and honesty and loyalty and responsibilty in his body, and said, voice shaking and body quivering, "Yes." It felt like an agreement to death.  
~~~  
  
Michael had been living with Nabooru in her enormous temple home for almost two months now, and he was quite content there, even when he knew that no one in all of Gerudo Fortress even knew he existed. It wasn't that bad of a feeling, being anonymous. He had Nabooru, after all, who never ceased to amaze him with her carefree view of life.  
  
But one thing had been nagging at him continually every day, growing in his mind each and every day, and now all he wanted to do was ask her this one question. He worked up the nerve to ask it one day when the two of them were sitting together in the middle of the desert at night.  
  
"Nabooru, can I ask you something?" Nabooru turned and smiled at him, that fake yet vuluptuous smile that made his spine tingle, even now. "Well...how do I put this..." He paused for a moment, trying to think of the best way to say it, but finally just blurted the whole thing out: "Nabooru, why did you take me away from Hyrule Castle when you knew I had attempted rape? And why did you save my brother from punishment as well?" He looked her in the eye when he said this, because he wanted an honest answer, and he was certain she would not give him one.  
  
Her expression changed, however, and suddenly Nabooru's bouncy personality was serious, and her smile turned into a calmer expression, and she seemed...normal. She turned and faced him seriously, and Michael realized that for the first time in perhaps all her life she was going to be completely straightforward, and not put on a shallow act like she normally did.  
  
"Michael," she said, looking worried, "that girl you tried to rape...well, I think Link, the Hero of Time, is in love with her."  
  
"Yes...?" Michael had no idea where this was leading to.  
  
"And...I'm in love with Link. Letting the men who hurt her go free was my way, cruel perhaps but still my way, of getting back at her." Michael's eyes became clouded, and he looked quickly away from Nabooru. "Look, Michael, I know you probably think I'm awful, but I did it out of love! I'm not that bad of a person once you get to know me!"  
  
"That's not it." And then Nabooru knew what was bothering Michael.  
  
"Michael, surely you didn't think I was in love with you?"  
  
Michael turned to her, a quiet anger in his eyes. He tried to make his voice sound sarcastic and uncaring, but he knew the hurt showed clearly in his voice. "Oh, I don't know, I live with you for two months and it means nothing at all. Of course. I'm sorry, I didn't realize."  
  
"Michael, I constantly bring men back here with me until they tire of me...or I of them, sometimes. I've kept you around because you don't seem to want to leave, and you are good in bed." She smiled at him as though this solved all their problems, and her fake personality was back, stronger than ever.  
  
"Well, maybe I thought it meant something, Nabooru. Maybe I appreciated being saved from death or worse!" Michael's voice was rising quickly, but he didn't try to control it. "Maybe I'm in love with you! Ever thought of that?! I guess not!"  
  
Nabooru reached out a hand and put it gently on Michael's shoulder. "Michael-"  
  
But Michael wrenched away from her grasp. "Don't touch me!" And then, more softly, "You know, Nabooru, I wish you hadn't taken me away from Hyrule Castle. I wish they had hanged me or done whatever they were planning to do, because no matter what it had been, it would have been a lot better than this." He got up and started to walk away.  
  
"Michael! Come back here! You won't last three minutes in the desert without me!"  
  
Michael turned, his eyes like ice. "I don't care." Nabooru felt as though she had been stabbed, but she couldn't just let Michael go away. She grabbed his arm and transformed into an orange light particle, and hovered above the desert sands, waiting and hoping that Michael would calm down.  
~~~  
  
  
Note: Just because Link's engaged to Malon does NOT mean he ends up with her. Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't. But don't stop reading the story just because you hate Malon! I made something awful happen to her! 


	7. A Meeting of the Sages

Hello! Thank you for all your lovely reviews! Hope you enjoy this chapter-it may surprise some of you. Oh, and you should know, someone is going to die, but not until chapter...lemme think...nine or ten. Sorry to keep you waiting! And let me add that this death has a lot to do with who Link ends up with...that's all I'm saying...  
  
Chapter 7: A Meeting of the Sages  
  
  
The aroma of roast chicken drifted slowly through the room as Link walked in the door of Malon's house, and he smiled at the scent. He went upstairs and found Malon placing two plates full of chicken, mashed potatoes and dumplings on the table.  
  
"Malon," he said, smiling, "if the chicken tastes even half as good as it smells, it'll be delicious." Malon smiled at him and sat down, motioning for him to sit in the other seat. He happily obliged.  
  
For a few moments there was an awkward pause, and then Link asked, "Malon? I was going to ask you something about the chickens."  
  
"Yes, Link?"  
  
"Well, I think they should have a more proper place to stay-a chicken coop, or something like that. Then we could collect their eggs instead of having to search the grass, and make some more money."  
  
Malon's face lit up. "Link, that's a wonderful idea! But...where would we build it?"  
  
"That's what I wanted to ask you. I have two main ideas. Since the chickens already stay downstairs at night, I was thinking I could just add some things down there. That wouldn't take a lot of time. But the other idea would be to turn that add a second floor to that tall stable on the other side of the ranch. That would take longer, but we could put the kitchen table down there and we would have more space." Link stopped, and then suddenly started again. "Sorry-I don't mean to make it sound like I'm in charge now that I'm going to live here...it's just I thought it was a good idea..."  
  
Malon smiled gently. "No, it's no problem. I like the second idea better. If we're going to have a family, we should get some more space."  
  
After this statement, both Malon and Link could feel the tension in the room increasing by the minute. Finally, Link put his fork down and said, "Malon, that was wonderful. I'll just be going now..."  
  
Malon grabbed his arm. "Link, why are you leaving? I thought you were going to live here."  
  
Link said, "I am. But I'm going to sleep in the southwestern stable like I always do."  
  
"Oh, you couldn't! You can sleep here now."  
  
Link eyes the beds and, noticing there were two, said, "Well all right then."  
  
He pulled off his sword, put all of his weapons in a drawer Malon had reserved "specially for him", and crawled into bed. He had never slept with a blanket before, and it was an odd but pleasant experience to him. He closed his eyes, envisioning Ruto and Brandon in his mind, and then he felt Malon's body against his as she got into bed with him. Panicking, he sat up abruptly and got out of bed.  
  
"Link, what are you doing?" asked Malon, looking slightly annoyed.  
  
"Malon, I thought we were going to sleep in separate beds! We're not married yet!"  
  
"Yes, but we are engaged, and we'll hopefully be married soon...and it's not like I can get pregnant," she added, winking at him.   
  
Sighing, Link said, "Look, Malon, I've already told you. I don't know what I was thinking then. But we should wait until we're married before we do anything again."  
  
Malon was looking extremely disappointed. "But...nothing will happen! I can't get pregnant! Why can't we just sleep together?!"  
  
Link said, "Because it's wrong, Malon. Because it's wrong."  
  
Sighing loudly, Malon moved to the other bed, and Link lied back down. But before he fell asleep, he could have sworn he heard Malon murmur, "He'll have to give in sometime."  
~~~  
  
Ruto smiled at her reflection in the pool of water, admiring her lacy black dress and shining new shoes. Brandon had invited her to dine with him at a restaurant in Hyrule Clock Town, and she was so excited she could barely breathe. It seemed like only yesterday she had been constantly avoiding him, and now they were so close...  
  
"Ruto? Are you ready?" Brandon's head appeared around the corner of the throne room, and Ruto smiled. "Yes, Brandon. I'm ready. Let's go!" She grabbed his arm and, before he could speak, transformed them both into light molecules. Then they were off.  
  
When they got to the restaurant, a waiter asked them if they would like some drinks, and Brandon asked for a bottle of their best wine. Ruto stared at him as the waiter went away and said, "Brandon! Aren't we a little young to drink? You have to be seventeen!"  
  
Brandon winked at her. "Well then that shouldn't be a problem for you, Ruto. You look at least twenty." Blushing, Ruto excused herself and went into the bathroom, nervous. She added another coat of purplish-blue lip gloss (it looks good on Zoras, okay?) and then walked slowly back to the table. She felt as though something either horrible or marvelous was about to happen, and the feeling grew even stronger when the waiter brought their drinks.  
  
After the waiter had poured the wine, Brandon suddenly dropped something, and it landed by Ruto's feet. Smiling awkwardly, Brandon asked, "Ruto? Could you get that for me?" She reached down to get it, and noticed it was an odd-shaped sort of sphere.   
  
"Brandon, what is this?" asked, curious. He smiled.  
  
"It's a good luck charm," he explained. "I think I'm going to need it soon."  
  
"Why's that?" asked Ruto, but then she picked up her wine glass and noticed something at the bottom of her glass...it was a ring. A diamond ring, actually. She pulled it in awe out of the glass and said, "Did...did the waiter drop this or something?" But she knew very well what it was.  
  
Brandon grinned in his charming way. "Ruto, will you marry me?"  
  
She smiled at him and, leaping up out of her chair to hug him, whispered excitedly, "Yes! Of course I will!"  
~~~  
  
He was gone. Vanished. Well, not really. But he was out of her range of vision, anyhow, and that was more than enough for her.  
  
She sighed and was surprised to find a tear rolling down her cheek. She had never really cried over anybody in her entire life before, not even Link when she thought he was in love with Malon. That was odd. Perhaps some sand had gotten in her eye, or something...  
  
No, that wasn't it. Nabooru was beginning to realize just how much she had enjoyed Michael's company. It wasn't so much that he was the most gorgeous person she had ever seen (because he certainly wasn't), but he was nice and smart and cute and the first person who had ever really been her friend. Living a secluded life in a temple hadn't exactly boosted Nabooru's social life, and now she felt depressed as ever.  
  
She knew she shouldn't have let him go, but he would have just hated her more if she had forced him to stay. She had the made the right decision.  
  
Hadn't she?  
~~~  
  
"Link? Link, I have to tell you something! Where are you?" Zelda yelled Link's name over and over until he finally appeared in the doorway of the ranch house, looking extremely sleepy and annoyed.  
  
"Zel, what are you doing here this time of morning? The sun is hardly up!"  
  
"I have to tell you something! And why are you here, anyway?"  
  
"How did you know I was here?"  
  
"Saria told me."  
  
"Since when do you talk to Saria?" asked Link, incredulous.  
  
"We Sages have to keep in touch. It's just the way of things."  
  
"Oh, I get it. Checking up on the evil villains and keeping down the evil creature population. In other words, the mundane, everyday stuff, right?" Link grinned at her.  
  
Zelda laughed. "I guess so. Where's Malon?"  
  
"She's inside. Why don't we go over there so we won't wake her? You're lucky she's such a deep sleeper like her father. You could have awakened the dead with that racket."  
  
They walked leisurely over to the corral, and Link leaned casually against it. "So, what's up?"  
  
"Father wants me to be married by my seventeenth birthday, and you won't believe who he's forcing me to marry!"  
  
"Who? He can't be that bad."  
  
"He is! Rauru!"  
  
"Rauru's not bad..."  
  
"I know! He's a very nice person, but I've always looked up to him like my second father, not my husband! And he actually agreed to marry me! He's over twice my age!"  
  
"I guess that is a problem..."  
  
"Link! Be serious! But anyway, you can fix this."  
  
Link looked surprised. "Me? How?"  
  
"If you agree to marry me, I won't have to marry Rauru! You have to, Link! You can't just let me marry him!"  
  
Link looked fixedly into her eyes for a moment, and then away.  
  
"Link...you have to...you can't...Link..." Zelda was speechless. Something was wrong.  
  
"Zelda," said Link slowly, "I'm already engaged."  
  
"You've already told me about your accidental engagement to Ruto, Link! At least a thousand times! Honestly! You two don't seem to be getting married anytime soon to me..."  
  
"No," said Link, "I mean I'm already engaged to someone else."  
  
"Who?!" And then it suddenly hit her. "Ma...Malon?"  
  
So softly she could barely hear him, Link whispered, "Yes."  
  
"Why?!" Zelda half expected tears to come to her eyes, but she was beyond crying. This was too much. "I thought...I thought you said you weren't in love with her..."  
  
"I'm not."  
  
"Then why, Link? Why?" Zelda half-yelled, hysterical.  
  
"Zelda," said Link bluntly, "Malon's pregnant."  
  
"What?" And then, "Oh my god..." And then, "But Link, that's not your fault! That guard raped her! What does that have to do with you?"  
  
Link swallowed visibly. "After she was raped, we were talking in the barn and I was trying to comfort her and..." His voice trailed off, stating the obvious without actually saying anything at all.  
  
Zelda stared at Link for a moment, as though transfixed by him. And then she smacked him as hard as she could across the face.  
~~~  
  
"Quiet, everyone, quiet! The meeting is almost over! But before we adjourn, does anybody have news in their lives they'd like to tell everyone?" Zelda smiled at almost everyone who was the meeting, carefully avoiding Link's eyes. He didn't always come to meetings, but Zelda had insisted he come. He didn't know this, but she wanted to tell everyone about him getting Malon pregant...though she certainly wouldn't say it like that. She could be discreet.  
  
"I have some news," said Impa. "Zelda and Rauru are to be married, everyone!" She smiled as though this were a good thing, making Zelda's heart beat faster from anger. She had told Impa not to say anything!  
  
"That's great, Zelda!" said Ruto, smiling. "And guess what? I'm getting married too!" Link perked up at this and stared at her, his mouth in a little O of surprise, and Zelda asked her who she was marrying. "His name is Brandon," explained Ruto, "and he's wonderful. I love him so much!" She couldn't resist a little peek at Link as she said this, and she smiled at the look of pain on his face.  
  
"Anyway else?" asked Zelda. Everyone shook their heads. "Well, I do! Link and Malon are getting married!"  
  
"What?" asked Ruto, looking as shocked as Link had only moments before. She wasn't jealous, but she now Link wouldn't be all that envious of her and Brandon. Oh, well. She would live.  
  
"Yeah," said Zelda, smiling in a fakely sweet way at Link as she continued, "they're going to get married very soon, aren't you, Link? Why is that again?"   
  
Link looked away and down. Finally, he said, "Well, we were engaged, but now Malon's pregant, so we're just speeding up the date of the wedding. No big deal." Zelda glared at him. She knew that wasn't true, but then, she shouldn't have put him on the spot like that. She tried to mouth, "I'm sorry," to him, but he wouldn't look at her.  
  
After the meeting, she apologized quietly. Link turned and looked at her and said, "It's all right. I don't care. It's not my reputation I'm worried about. It's Malon's. Would you like to be known as someone who does things like that before you're married?"  
  
Feeling even more ashamed now, Zelda said, "I'm sorry. It's just-"  
  
But Link cut her off. "I said it's okay. I'm sorry you have to marry Rauru. I would marry you otherwise, if it meant letting you escape that. But we can't have everything we want, can we?" Link sounded so down and depressed that Zelda almost asked him if he was feeling all right, and wondered who he was saying couldn't have everything, him or her. Maybe it was both. After all, it must have been one of the worst moments of his life, realizing that at the age of fifteen he would have to settle down and get married to someone he wasn't even in love with.  
~~~  
  
Saria appeared suddenly in the upstairs room of Malon's house, carrying with her a little pouch full of crushed moredania leaves. She looked around the room and spotted a chest full of tea, and noticed that one kind had been used far more than the others. She opened it up, poured the moredania leaves inside, and stirred it all around a bit, then carefully replaced the tea leaves.  
  
Moredania leaves caused pregnancy and labor problems-the kind that could kill the unborn baby. With a bit of luck, Malon's baby would die, and Link wouldn't have to marry her after all. With a blur of green light, Saria disappeared just as Malon opened the door to her bedroom to have a nice cup of tea.  
~~~ 


	8. A Not-So-Secret Engagement

A few things: First of all, I edited a few grammatical errors in chapter 7. Second of all, to Seproth (and everyone, really), Ganondorf won't be in this fic, but he will be in the sequel (yes, there is going to be a sequel.) I've already planned out the first three chapters of it, and it's about not only everyone in this fic (except the chic who dies), but also their children, and it'll be called "The Wheel of Time". So happy reading!  
  
Chapter 8: A Not-So-Secret Engagement  
  
Today was easily the most depressing day ever in Saria's fairly long life. Any moment now, Malon would come walking down the aisle in her flowing white wedding dress, looking like an angel, and she and Link would be married. And Saria, of all people, had been asked by Malon to be the Maid of Honor because she was "one of the only girls who I talk to and really nice." It almost made Saria feel bad about giving Malon those moredania leaves...almost being the key word there.  
  
Saria looked across the altar to where Darunia was standing, about three times as tall as her and at least twice as thick. Link had asked him to be his Best Man, because Rauru would be the one actually marrying Malon and Link.  
  
Malon waited in the small waiting room that had been constructed for her. It had been Link's idea to get married right here at the ranch, but first they had cleared away the horse corral and other fences, and made it a nice, open space.   
  
Malon was happy enough, but she was also sad because her father wasn't here for her on the most important day of her life. He certainly hoped he had found her mother, but she still wished he were home.  
  
The ceremony began. When it came time for Malon to walk down the aisle, she was almost shaking from nerves. Almost everyone in Hyrule had attended the wedding because it was the Hero of Time's wedding, and Malon could even now hear murmurs of "She's the luckiest girl in Hyrule!" and "I sure wish I was her!" After hearing this, Malon couldn't help but smile.  
  
The ceremony was extremely long, and Saria fidgeted the entire time. She sent out thoughts of bad luck at both Link and Malon, but for the most part she just stared into space aimlessly. When it was finally over and Link and Malon had been declared husband and wife, Saria felt like cheering, but she also felt sick to her stomach. They were married. Never again would she have a chance with Link. And now, even if the baby did die, they would still be married! Saria nearly started crying on the spot but managed to control herself. After the wedding she could cry as long as she liked.  
~~~  
  
At the reception, Link was dancing with Malon when Zelda tapped Malon on the shoulder gently, smiling. "Mind if I cut in?" she asked. Malon smiled back and stepped aside. Zelda put her arms around Link, laughing inwardly at the surprise on his face.  
  
"I didn't even think you'd come to the wedding, let alone dance with me," he murmured, still looking shocked.  
  
"Yes, well, maybe I'm not as evil as you think," said Zelda, grinning wickedly. Sure enough, Link began to protest, "I don't think you're evil! I-" but she cut him off.  
  
"I was kidding, Link. Calm down." But inside she was aching. She would be married to Rauru after all. Now that Link and Malon were officially married, it felt more like reality to her, and she didn't like the feeling at all. When the song was drawing to an end, she whispered, "I love you, Link. I always have and I always will." He stared down into her eyes for a few moments, not speaking. And then he said, "I love you too, Zelda."  
  
She sighed softly. "But it's not the same. You're not in love with me."  
  
And then he said, even softer than she had, "Don't be so sure of that, Zelda." And then the song ended, and he pulled away.  
  
Zelda stared after him, mouth hanging open, all of her elegance and formalities temporarily forgotten. Then she sighed, because even if he was falling in love with her, what good did it do now?  
~~~  
  
Michael paced back and forth in his jail cell, a mere hole of dirt and dust and not much else. He didn't know it, but it was the exact same cell the Hero of Time had once stayed in, and many people would have loved to see it.  
  
But even if he had known that, he wouldn't have cared. Most of the guards at the palace despised Link, fr one thing, and for another, he had been in there for three days, without food or water. He was beginning to wonder if they were just going to let him starve to death when a voice said, "I want to see him! NOW!"  
  
It sounded just like Nabooru. Would she get him out of here?   
  
After he had stormed away from her, he had somehow made it back to the Gerudo Fortress with the help of the Poe in the desert, and he wondered how he had seen it when only Nabooru had been able to see it before. (Unknown to him, Nabooru had enchanted his vision so he could see the Poe.) But it hadn't exactly helped him like he had thought it would. Ironic, he thought. That's how everything with Nabooru seemed to go. Good at first, and then it all comes crashing down.  
  
"Michael?" Nabooru's head appeared in the hole at the top of his cell, and he stared back up at her.  
  
"What do you want?" he asked, annoyed and weak. "I've been here for three days, I'm starved and dehydrated, and I wish I were dead! You better have something pretty good to tell me!"  
  
"I do." But there was no hint of flirtation in Nabooru's voice, not even a whisper of it. She was as solemn and serious as she had been when she told him why she had saved him. And then she had dropped into thte chamber with him, and she was carrying a bag of...what, exactly?  
  
"I come with food," she said, winking, and handed him the sack. Ignoring her comment, he devoured the food-dried cranberries, biscuits and a couple of prunes-within minutes, then stared at her.   
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"That's a nice way to greet your savior. They would have starved you if it weren't for me, you know."  
  
"And that's a bad thing?"  
  
Nabooru sighed. "Michael, I'm sorry, all right?"  
  
"You're sorry? You think being sorry will just magically make everything all right? I don't think so! You have me stay with you for two entire months, you shower me with affection all for your own benefit, and you think apologizing is going to help?!"  
  
"I guess not."  
  
"No! Of course it's not! I'm tired of the desert, and I'm tired of your maniac followers, and I'm especially tired of you!"  
  
Nabooru sighed once more. "If you want to go, you can go."  
  
"Fine. I'm leaving. Goodbye." Michael stood up, and then realized stupidly that he couldn't leave. "How exactly do I get our of here again?"  
  
"You don't." Nabooru stood up to her full height, a good two inches taller than Michael. "I already let you leave once, Michael, and I'm not letting you go again until you answer a few questions."  
  
"Fine. Ask away."  
  
"Actually, it's just one question." Nabooru reached into her pocket and pulled out an opaque but extremely shiny orange and black stone. It was about the size of the palm of her hand and perfectly oval, but it was so smooth it seemed impossible that it had been carved. "Michael, this is the Fire Stone. Have you heard of it before?" She placed it gently on his hand. He took it slowly, as though in a dream.  
  
"Is this the stone from the Temple of Time?" he asked, awed.  
  
"No," she said, laughing. "You're thinking of the Spiritual Stone of Fire. That stone is actually a ruby, it's much bigger than this, and it's red, not orange." She paused, and then said, "It's a precious stone in the desert, passed down from generation to generation. It's a little like the Zora's Sapphire, though, in that the female leader of the Gerudos gives it whoever she thinks is worthy of it." Then Nabooru laughed. "It's never been given away by a Gerudo before. We've always thought men were unworthy.  
  
"Michael, I think you are worthy. Will you be the first man to ever possess it?" Awed, Michael began to say yes, but Nabooru stopped him. "There's a catch, though. Three, actually."  
  
"What are they?"  
  
"One, you will possess magical powers the rest of your life. Do you accept that?"  
  
Michael laughed. "No...of course I do!"  
  
"Two, you will stay here for the rest of your life. Do you accept that?"  
  
Michael paused, unsure. Then he answered, "It's not like I have a choice. One of the Gerudos told me I'm wanted now in Hyrule, too."  
  
"And three...you will marry me, and love me the rest of your life. Do you acce-do you want that, Michael?"  
  
He paused once more, hesitated, and then made a motion as though to hand the stone back to Nabooru. Her face fell, but then he picked her up, embracing her, and said, "Yes, I do want that! But we haven't done it properly!" He got on his knees, and Nabooru tried to hold back a laugh. He held the stone out to her. "Nabooru, will you marry me?"  
  
She finally let the laugh out, and said, "Yes, Michael. Of course I will marry you." I asked you first, she thought, smiling to herself. But she didn't say that. She just picked him up and, to his surprise, swung him around as though he weighed nothing.  
  
When she put him down, Michael asked, "Nabooru?"  
  
"Yes, Michael?"  
  
"Can you tell the Gerudos who I am now so I can get out of here? I've been here for three days."  
  
"Oh yeah! Sorry!" Nabooru called to the Gerudos to tell them the wonderful (well, to them, horrible) news. But even as they all looked at her, disgusted, and even though Nabooru was beginning to fear they wouldn't let her out now, she couldn't help but think to herself, Life is wonderful. Truly wonderful.  
~~~  
  
  
  
  
  
Lol! I was just going through my new reviews when I noticed someone named "Mr. Bigg" wrote, "Ahh, Moredania leaves... the birth control pill of Hyrule," and I started cracking up! I never thought of it that way! But it actually is a lot worse than birth control pills...it's sort of like an abortion pill, only worse because if it doesn't work while the person's actually pregant (Malon's still got seven months to go, don't worry), then the birth can be terrible, as I mentioned before, and usually the baby dies a very painful death. Anyway, enough of my blabbing! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! 


	9. A Birth and a Death

Thank you to everyone who reviewed my last chapter! I was so flattered by some of the reviews...thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter eight: fragdemon, Gouf_2k2, Seproth, MiKoMiTeNsHi, alskwolf, Demon Kurai, Lulu, Cheri Belle, guitargrlC, Darkiegal, Tigress the Oracle of Legends, Hyren Breeder, SweetSaria88, and Maniac Mosli. No, I'm not a professional writer...I've gotten a couple poems published, but I'm only thirteen.  
  
  
  
  
Note: It has been seven months since the last chapter...  
  
Chapter Nine: A Birth and a Death  
  
Malon sat uncomfortably on her bed, trying to take deep, calming breaths but failing miserably. Every ten minutes or so she would have another contraction, and she had never imagined anything could be so painful. She would have been worried had it not been for Impa, who had told her it was supposed to hurt.  
  
Link was sitting on the other bed, looking ashen and worried, and suddenly a sharp pain went through Malon's body again and she cried out. Link sighed and said, "I wish none of this had ever happened. I don't know what I was thinking..."  
  
In a small voice full of pain, Malon said quietly, "Link, grow up."  
  
Link stared at her. "What?"  
  
"I said, 'Grow up.' And I meant it, too! Do you think I like having my husband constantly talk about how he wishes he had never been with me? Do you think I want to be going into labor? I don't like this any more than you do, but I don't regret it. I never will."  
  
Link was quiet for a moment, and then he said, "I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean it like that. I don't regret that we got married, Malon."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Really." There a moment's pause, and then Malon started gasping. "Malon," said Link, looking worried, "that wasn't a very long time between those two, was it?" Malon managed to shake her head and Link grabbed his ocarina, went outside the house, and called Saria on his ocarina.  
~~~  
  
Saria was tramping through the Lost Woods when she noticed her ocarina glowing. She knew it was most likely Link, and for a moment she thought of maybe not answering him, since she knew Malon was going into labor and that's why he was calling. But then she realized that would look suspicious on her part, and she didn't want to take any blame if the baby died, so she answered.   
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Saria! It's me! Malon's going into labor, so would you get Impa? I know you can travel as a light beam and everything, so..."  
  
Saria paused, debating. Then she said, "All right. She'll be there in less than five minutes." She transformed herself into a beam of light and zipped off to the castle at top speed.  
~~~  
  
Ruto stared at her reflection in the pool of water, smiling to herself. Everything was perfect. Jabu-Jabu's old home had been brushed up and decorated, with plenty of floating islands added for people who weren't Zoras and couldn't swim very well, and her wedding dress looked perfect. Ruto felt like a princess...then again, she was a princess, so that made sense. She twirled around a couple times before heading back over to Zora's Domain to greet her guests.  
  
When she walked in, she was surprised at how many people had turned up. Half of the crowd were people she had never even seen before, let alone know them personally, and the hall was so packed that Ruto barely had room to step inside.   
  
She walked to the top of the waterfall where everyone would be able to see her more clearly and smiled cheerily, waving to everyone. A hush fell over the crowd as Ruto began to speak, and a moment later her father had joined her at the top of the waterfall.  
  
"Ladies and gentleman," she said, starting out loudly but soon realizing there was no need, "thank you for being here on my special day. It gives me great honor to-to...Father?" Her father was making gasping sounds, and when Ruto turned to look at him, he was clutching his chest. An instant later he fell from the waterfall and landed with a giant splash in the water.  
  
"FATHER!" Ruto dived into the water after him, wedding dress and all, and knelt beside him underwater. "Father, are you all right?" Her father was gasping and yelling in pain, and Ruto cried, "Father, what's wrong?"   
  
He took her small hand in his and said, "My heart...my...heart...I love you...Ruto, my...daughter..." And then his eyes closed slowly.  
  
"Father, no...not now, not my wedding day! No!" Ruto burst into tears under the water, reminded suddenly of Brandon's death, and the way she had saved him...she gently kissed her father on the cheek, expecting him to spring back to life, but nothing happened. He lay quite as still as before, looking as though he were asleep.  
  
"But...why...?" Suddenly Ruto felt a splash beside her, and Brandon was holding her. She sobbed into his chest, suddenly wishing she could just meld into him and not exist anymore.  
~~~  
  
Michael walked out onto the stone patio of the Spirit Temple, smiling to himself as he watched Nabooru. He loved watching Nabooru when she didn't know he was watching her, the way she looked as though she was concentrating hard on something that only she could see.  
  
He noticed her hand was resting on the lower section of her stomach, as it had often for the last few months. He often wondered why she did that, but he had never bothered asking before. He decided he would now.  
  
He crept up quietly behind her, and then, at the last possible moment, said, "Nabooru, can I ask you something?" Nabooru jumped, making him laugh, and he picked her up and said, "Why do you always hold your stomach like that?"  
  
Nabooru looked away for a moment, and then she answered, "I was wondering if you'd noticed that." Michael waited, but she didn't say anything else, and he said, "Well...?" Nabooru smiled.  
  
"Michael, I think we're going to have a baby." Shocked, Michael nearly dropped Nabooru, but caught himself and just gently put her down. Then he said, "Nabooru, that's great!" Then he added, thoughtfully, "Nabooru?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Did you ask me to marry you because you knew you were pregnant?"  
  
Surprised, Nabooru stared at him. "Of course not! I wasn't even pregnant when I asked you, and even if I had been, the women here always have children without fathers. Haven't you noticed there are no men? The women here get themselves knocked up by men from outside, and then they always have girls. The last man here was Ganondorf, sadly, but generally boys born here are meant to be the kings."  
  
Michael hugged Nabooru gently. "Do you think were going to have a boy?"  
  
Nabooru smiled. "Maybe."  
  
The wind blew gently through Nabooru's hair, and she smiled, content. She didn't care if it was a boy or a girl. She was just glad she was pregnant at all. For a while she had thought she couldn't have children, because she had been with so many men and she never got pregnant. But finally, finally, her dream had come true, and with just the right person.  
~~~  
  
Impa arrived suddenly in Malon's bedroom, smiling in a reassuring way and telling Malon to lie down. Malon obeyed. Then Impa turned to Link and said, "You don't have to stick around if you don't want to, Link. Most men don't." Link just shook his head, however. It wasn't that he thought Impa was lying, as she had delivered far too many babies to not know the truth about such things, but he felt it would be wrong for him to just leave Malon like that.   
  
"I'll just make some tea for Malon. Would that be okay?" Impa smiled and nodded, and Link scooped some tea leaves into a mug, turned on the gas stove, and put some water on to boil.  
  
"I've had tea almost every day," said Malon softly, smiling with effort. "It really helps me relax, and a woman in Kakariko Village told me that kind of tea helps women have their children. That's why I drink it so much."  
  
Impa smiled warmly. "I think you'll be a good mother, Malon."  
  
Suddenly Malon cried out again, and Impa said, "Are you sure you don't want to leave, Link? That makes it easier sometimes."  
  
Link sighed. "Fine. But I'm only going downstairs."  
  
He went downstairs and sat back in the spot where Talon used to sit, and waited. About fifteen minutes later, Impa came downstairs and said to him, "Link, I have bad news."  
  
Link stared at her. "What is it?"  
  
"Something is horribly wrong with Malon. I don't think the baby is going to make it, Link."  
  
Shocked, Link said, "Why not?"  
  
"I have no idea. I've never seen anything like it before." Uh-oh, Link thought. This was bad news. If Impa didn't know what to do, then nothing could help that baby.  
  
"I have to get back upstairs," said Impa as Malon suddenly screamed, "but pray for the baby, Link."  
  
"I will," said Link quietly, and as soon as Impa left he got up and began pacing. The baby couldn't die...that was the reason he had married Malon...but that was a selfish thought.  
  
But was being selfish such a bad thing in a situation like this?  
~~~  
  
Zelda sat on her bed, tears streaming down her face and staining her white silk nightgown. Tomorrow was her wedding night. She didn't want to marry Rauru, but there was nothing she could do about it, and the strange sense of calm that came with this all made her all the more upset.  
  
Zelda couldn't stop thinking about Link. She thought of Ruto, who had loved him but then fallen in love with someone else, and Nabooru, who had been fortunate enough to have the same thing happen to her. But Zelda had never been able to shake off her feelings for Link, and she didn't know why.  
  
Perhaps it was because there was no one else in her life. Ruto had saved Brandon's life, after all, and Nabooru had rescured Michael from a life in prison. Zelda hadn't saved anyone but Link. She could still remember leading him down from the top of Ganon's Castle as it began to fall down...  
  
Impa had left half an hour ago to help Malon with her baby. Zelda wondered how the birth was going. She certainly didn't want anything to happen to Malon or the baby. And unlike other women she knew, she meant it when she thought that.  
~~~ 


	10. Just by Chance

You people are far too flattering. To be quite honest, I thought this stoy was a mediocre thing that needed a lot of improvement but could just be for fun, so I let it go. Gosh, I wonder what would happen if I wrote to my full potential...just kidding! I'm working hard. Happy reading! Hope you like the final chapter! (It's a little longer than the others, I think...)  
  
Chapter 10: Just by Chance  
  
Link was pacing back and forth slowly in the downstairs part of his house, worrying desperately about Malon. It seemed like only yesterday nothing had happened between the two of them and they were just fine the way they were...but no more. Malon's baby could be dying right now and there was no turning back.  
  
Impa's head suddenly appeared out of the upstairs bedroom. Grimacing, Link walked slowly up the small wooden stairs that he had once had to jump over when he was very young and now could take very easily. But then he noticed the smile on Impa's face.  
  
"Impa, what happened?" Impa stepped outside the door, and she was holding a baby. A small, pink-skinned, blood-covered baby, with fine red hair and bright blue eyes that looked just like Link's. There was no doubt in his mind that it was his child.  
  
"You have a girl, Link," said Impa, beaming. "Isn't she beautiful?" She held out the baby with tenderness to Link, grinning as she had never grinned before, and Link gingerly took the baby. He was still worried, though.  
  
"Why is it...covered in blood?"   
  
Impa laughed. "That's just the way all babies are born, Link. Even you, Kokiri boy."  
  
Link frowned. "I'm a Hylian."  
  
"Yes, I know. I'm just teasing you."  
  
Link smiled down at the baby, who had already closed her eyes and gone to sleep. Laughing, he said, "How's Malon?"  
  
Impa smiled. "She was a little pale, but she's all right. It was very hard on her body."  
  
"Well, I'm glad she's all right."  
  
"Link, do you think you could hold her for a minute? I need to go check on Malon. Get some food in her or something like that..."  
  
"Why wouldn't I hold my own daughter?" Impa started walking up the stairs, but Link called, "Wait! Did Malon name her?"  
  
"No. She said she'd discuss it with you later." And then Impa disappeared into the bedroom.  
  
Two seconds later, a loud, piercing scream came from bedroom.   
~~~  
  
Ruto sat on a rock that had started peaking out of the waters of Lake Hylia, staring at the sunlight and crying. She could see from here, out of the corner of her eye, the grave that covered her father's body. And beside it, much older and more worn, her mother's. I'm an orphan, she thought helplessly. And I'm only seventeen.  
  
In reality, it wasn't that bad. Link had been orphaned when he was barely a year old, maybe even younger. And Brandon's parents had died in a hurricane when he was only five. It was selfish of her to think her life was miserable just because her parents had died. Of course, she missed them dreadfully...  
  
Brandon had offered to come with her, but she had told him to get some rest before tomorrow, when they would finally be married. The wedding had obviously been postponed after what had happened, and it didn't feel like it had all been less than two hours ago.   
  
Ruto got up and swam to her the island that held her mother's grave, right above the Water Temple. She knelt down in front of the grave, hands clasped together, and started to sing. It was an old tune, one her mother had taught her, and it was used to mourn those who had been dead for at least a year. Then she sang a song of praise and hope to those who had recently died, to help them find their way in the spirit world.  
  
Sighing, Ruto dived back into the water, letting herself float whichever way the waves took her. That was the best way to be in the water, relaxed and never having to choose where you wanted to go.   
  
A moment later, Ruto bumped her head on a rock that the current had pulled her into. She sat down on the floor of the lake immediately, clutching her now-bruised head. Sometimes, annoyingly enough, the water took her places she didn't really want to go. She got hurt that way a lot.  
  
It was sort of like life. You could just let whatever happens happen, and not worry about anything. But without a little work and at least a small goal, you often got hurt in some small way.  
~~~  
  
Nabooru smiled to herself as she tanned happily on a rock, wearing a small but comfortable dress. Michael had been reunited with his brother Daniel some two hours ago, and now they were talking about what Daniel should do. It made Nabooru laugh. She already knew their decision. Men's minds were so easy to read.  
  
Sure enough, Michael came walking toward her now. "Nabooru, we've decided what to do about Daniel's situation."  
  
Nabooru looked at him inquiringly. "Yes?"  
  
"We were hoping he could stay here for now. You know, wait until everything dies down?"  
  
Nabooru laughed. "Michael, this will never 'die down'. He may as well just stay here his entire life. He can marry my head assistant, the one with the green outfit. You know her, right?"  
  
Michael looked stunned. "Um, okay..."  
  
"Yes, I've already told her they're getting married tonight, so there's no real need to worry. She told me she thought he was cute."  
  
"But won't the other Gerudos disapprove?"  
  
"Maybe so. But that's their problem, not mine. I'm in charge right now and if I feel like marrying someone, I can."  
  
Michael chuckled to himself. Nabooru was always so determined and independant in her thinking. "Nabooru?" he asked, smiling.   
  
"Yes, Michael?"  
  
"Have I ever told you how much I love you?"  
  
"Only a thousand and one times, Michael."  
  
"Well let me tell you again..."  
~~~  
  
  
Saria felt as though she were going to burst. A few moments ago she had started feeling more and more guilty about mixing the moredania leaves in with Malon's tea, and she couldn't quite figure out why. It was as though a tree in the forest had died, and she could feel the slow, painful process of life being sucked out of its limbs, which happened to her quite often. But this was much worse.  
  
Suddenly she felt she had to tell somebody. Anybody. She just had to let somebody know what a horrible thing she had done, and she felt like if she waited one more minute she herself would die. She turned herself into a light particle and rushed off to the nearest Sage, who happened to be Impa.  
  
Impa was sitting in the downstairs area of Lon Lon Ranch, looking extremely concerned about something. Surprised, Saria said, "Impa? Is something wrong?"  
  
Impa looked up slowly and said, "Oh, Saria, it's awful."  
  
"What is it? Oh, God, did the baby die?!"  
  
Impa stared directly into Saria's eyes, making Saria wonder if she could read minds. She looked extremely suspicious for some reason... "No, the baby did not die. She's alive and well and is with her father right now."  
  
"Then...what's the bad news?" Moredania leaves killed the baby, that was all. So if the baby didn't die, what could possibly be wrong?  
  
"Malon died."  
  
Impa's words seemed to echo throughout the room. Malon died...Malon...died? Saria couldn't seem to comprehend the words.  
  
"But how could she die? Moredania leaves only kill the baby, not the mother!" And then Saria gasped and covered her mouth with her hands and stared fearfully down at the floor.  
  
Impa was staring at Saria as though she had just met her. "I'm going to assume that this moredania incident was just an accident, Saria, nothing more, nothing less. And I'm going to tell you one thing: moredania leaves kill the mother just as often as the child nowadays. No one knows why. Maybe a hundred years ago they didn't kill mothers quite as much, but today they do. I'm assuming you read they kill the child in one of your old texts?" Saria nodded glumly. "Then it isn't your fault Malon died, my dear. It is, but it isn't. I don't want you to do anything drastic."  
  
"Drastic? I tried to kill Malon's baby so Link wouldn't marry her and I ended up killing Malon herself! I'm horrible! I...I...I want to kill myself!" Saria pulled out a small knife she always brought with her for protection with every intention of stabbing herself, but Impa stopped her.  
  
"Saria, no! If you kill yourself, the rest of the Sages die!"  
  
Saria blinked. "What?"  
  
Impa sighed. "Sages can only die by their own hand. Did you know this?" Saria shook her head. "Well, it's true. Nothing else can kill them. Not weapons...not disease...not even old age. Eventually you just stop aging when you're ready for it. That's why I've lived so long and still appear to be in my fifties or sixties. I'm actually a hundred and six tomorrow."  
  
Saria gasped. "Is that why I stopped aging so young?"  
  
"That was partly a Kokiri trait, mixed in with the Sage genetics to make you stop aging at such a young age. Anyway, if one Sage kills themself, the rest die."  
  
Saria sat there for a moment, still wishing she could kill herself but now afraid to. Then Impa stood up and said, "If you'll excuse me. You have some thinking to do, and I need to call a casket maker and put an ad out in Hyrule Market Town that this ranch is for sale." She started to leave the room, but Saria stopped her.  
  
"Wait!" Impa turned around, her eyes clear and focused. "What if I took care of the ranch?"  
  
"You can't, my dear. You need to protect the Forest Temple."  
  
"So? I hate living in the forest! It's not fair! And I can travel so quickly, and right now there aren't any problems with the Temple...I only check up on it once a day or so anyway! I'll just zip over there when I have to." She paused, thinking hard. "I could even have some of the Kokiri help me! Would that work?"  
  
Impa smiled. "If you think so." And she walked out the door.  
  
Saria felt a tiny bit better. She would never, could never make it up to Malon and her daughter, but at least the ranch wouldn't go to someone bad with animals. Then suddenly Impa walked in.   
  
"Saria, I just wanted to let you know that you shouldn't tell Link about what you did. At least not now. Wait for a couple years."  
  
"A couple years! Why?"  
  
"There are some things you just don't tell people, honey, and this is one of them. Trust me. Wait." And Impa walked out the ranch door, hoping Saria would follow her advice.  
~~~  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Zelda sat quite still, perched on the roof of the castle where no one of real importance could find her. Sure, the guards in the courtyard could spot her a mile away, but they were on duty and couldn't exactly report the princess.  
  
She had finally stopped feeling sorry for herself a few hours ago and started worrying about what she would wear to her wedding. A little bit of late notice, maybe, but she had been in denial so long it was a small wonder she hadn't planned better.  
  
She looked out over the vast front yard of the palace, smiling to herself as she thought of how lush the grass looked, how gorgeous the trees. Somehow everything seemed peaceful today, as though everything was going to be all right and there was no need to worry about anything. It was a nice, lazy summer day.  
  
Suddenly she noticed that part of the grass looked odd...like it was moving. Odd. She craned her neck for a closer look and realized it wasn't grass at all-it was Link! Zelda jumped up and turned herself into a light molecule, landing happily next to Link. He looked surprised when he saw her, and then his face became sad.  
  
"Link, what's wrong? What's the matter?"  
  
Link held a small bundle in his arms, and he held it out to Zelda. "What do you think?"  
  
Zelda took the bundle, which she soon realized was a baby, in her arms. She gasped as she pulled back the blanket. The baby looked amazingly like Malon, except for the eyes, which were Link's.  
  
"Wow...she's beautiful, Link! She looks just like Malon!" Zelda paused. "I'm assuming Malon is resting back at the ranch?"  
  
Link shook his head, frowning. "I'll just put it bluntly...she's dead. That's why I came. I wanted to tell you that I can marry you now."  
  
Zelda stared at Link, this shell of a man who seemed to have lost every good quality about him, and then suddenly she said, "Well I feel bad for Malon-how would you like it if you died and she up and married another man?"  
  
Link stared at her. "This is different, Zelda. Extreme circumstances, for one thing, and not much time. You're getting married tonight. And second of all, it's not like I'm in love with you."  
  
Those last words stung, and Zelda choked back a gasp. "But at your wedding, you said..."  
  
"I said that because I think you're pretty and I figured it wouldn't matter whether or not I was in love with you, since I was getting married. It sounds awful, I know, but I'm just laying down the facts, Zelda. I don't love you, but I could learn to. Lots of couples do." He sighed, then added, "And a lot of times that makes the marriage a hundred times better, because the people in it really have to work hard. But no, I'm not in love with you. I'm in love with Ruto, and I have been for a long time."  
  
Zelda sighed. "Fine. You know what? I will marry you. She'll make a beautiful princess, Link." Link looked confused and then he said, "The baby won't be princess! She doesn't have your blood."  
  
"So? She has Malon's blood, which is better than having my blood, I can tell you, and she has yours, and you're the King."  
  
"I'm not the King yet..."  
  
"Yes, you are." Link gazed at Zelda, exhausted and puzzled. "Father died last night. He said something about everything being all right to me, and then he suddenly started gasping for air and then he just...died. Collapsed. Just like that."  
  
Link stood silent for a moment, then said, "What do you want to name her?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"She doesn't have a name yet. Why don't you name her?"  
  
Zelda stared at the baby for a moment, silent. Then, softly, "Malin."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Malin. It's a comination of your and Malon's names. So I can remember that she's not my child. And so she can remember too. I want her to know all about Malon. You can tell her stories."  
  
Link stared at Zelda cautiously. "Are you sure?"  
  
Zelda nodded confidently. "Absolutely."  
  
"All right, then..."  
  
"Wait here. I have to go tell everyone the wedding is having a small change in it..." Zelda disappeared in a flash of light.  
  
Link sighed, realizing Zelda had taken the baby with her. Then he stared out in the direction of Lon Lon Ranch.   
  
He was marrying someone he didn't love for the second time in his life. He was becoming King of Hyrule against his will, and he was a father on top of it all. What was next? Then he smiled, a small smile that made him feel a bit better. With all this responsibilty...  
  
"This is for the best, Malon. And you know what? I think I did what you told me to today. I think I finally grew up."  
~~~  
  
  
What'd you think? Good ending or bad ending? Hmm? The sequel will, obviously, be about baby Malin a little (okay, fourteen years) older, and it will also have children of Michael and Nabooru's, plus Ruto and Brandon's. Hope you like it as much as this one! 


End file.
